Skyrim: The Silver Chronicle
by CommanderFlynn
Summary: The Dragonborn is a woman to be feared. Destined to save Tamriel from the return of the dragons, she must embark on an epic adventure filled with betrayal, romance and adventure. A write-up of my playthrough. Part Original Story - Part Game Story.
1. Prologue

Within Tamriel existed a large number of prophesies. Many of them relating to the royal family of Tiber Septim who was said to posses a soul of a dragon. It was told that one would rise and save Tamriel from the return of the Dragons. However 200 years prior the emperor was slain and the prophecy was thought false due to his death and was discarded to the large archive of prophecies that had happened, are going to happen, and are to happen.

It was during this time that an old scholar uncovered a new prophecy that the next heir to the throne would defeat Mehrunes Dagon, one of sixteen Daedric princes that inhabited the harsh lands of Oblivion. It told of the defeat of the prince and told of a time of peace that would settle across Tamriel for many years to come.

200 years had passed since then and Tamriel had known a time of peace. The people of Cyrodil had rebuilt the Imperial city, Kvatch; now restored to its former glory and little to no signs of the Daedra Invasion existed.

However North of Cyrodil in the snowy mountain region of Skyrim; a lone woman has been captured by the Imperials in Skyrim, Her reasons her own and her business her own. Little did she know that her future had been written for her and that this was the start of her new life.

She did not know that she was Dragonborn. A person who has been born with the soul of a dragon and that when she placed her first foot in Skyrim, she would begin her adventure to save Tamriel from the fearsome dragons.

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><p><strong>A new Elder Scroll means a new adventure! While I cannot make a midnight launch I'm picking it up as soon as physically possible the following morning and spending the rest of the day playing!.<br>**

**This is a new writing project that a friend dared me to undertake. Skyrim is going to be so rich in RPG elements and story. The dare? Do a let's play Skyrim but with a twist, I can not record gameplay and I have to use my writing talents to record my adventures. Needless to say I'm doing it!**

****This is going to be another warning. This project is going to have spoilers and it's going to have violence. I'm bumping it up to M rating just in-case but I hope everyone joins me for the biggest adventure of 2011!


	2. Chapter 1: Introducing the Silver

**Chapter 1: **Introducing the Silver

The Imperial Guard smiled a little to himself as he drove the horse drawn carriage full of prisoners. Many of them belonged to a group of rebels which were trying to "free" Skyrim and they called themselves 'The Stormcloaks' or something along those lines. He didn't know. He didn't pay attention to what happened to everyone or the politics that occurred in Skyrim. He was paid to do what he was told and he did exactly that. Still despite that he was smug with pride as he recalled the ambush on the group that had occurred earlier. It had gone so smoothly and without any problems or injury to their own party and what's more they had also captured the rebel leader! He silently hoped that he could take a good chunk of the glory when it came to giving his report.

**VVVV**

A woman slowly awoke from behind the guard. Her beautiful hazel coloured eyes opening and closing for a moment, her vision blurred and her head throbbing painfully as she sat up-right. A small strand of dirtied black hair fell over her eye and she blew it out of her face, noting that her hands were bound and that she was in a open top carriage full of men. She glanced around for a moment, taking in the snowy and rough terrain that the carriage bumped along and the fact the cold stung her exposed arms and legs and took a wild guess that she was in Skyrim.

She let out a low groan and shook her head in a vain attempt to clear her mind when a Nord with short dirty blonde hair looked at her "Hey, you're finally awake." He smiled warmly not that it helped her in this cold climate. "You were the one they caught trying to get across the border aren't you? You got caught in the ambush just like us and that thief over there."

The woman looked at the Nord for a moment when she suddenly remembered what she was doing. She was smuggling her family out of Cyrodil and into Skyrim in an attempt to get away from The Dark Brotherhood whom had wanted her entire family dead for some reason or another. In a fit of panic she glanced around and looked around in the carriages and saw no sign of her family. She let out a sigh of relief and loosened up a little as the thief who had brown hair glared daggers at the Nord.

"Skyrim was just fine until you Stormcloaks came along. The Empire was nice and lazy." He looked away but anger was still evident on his features. "If the Empire wasn't looking for you I would have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell" He then looked warmly at her.

The feeling of those eyes on her made her uncomfortable, she shuffled on the spot and tried to remain calm but it was hard to do that when your surrounded by men to an unknown destination.

"You there, you and I aren't meant to be here. It's the Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

The Nord looked calmly over to the thief. "We are all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." He added on the last word, she was certain because no-one knew the others name.

The Theif shrugged and ignored the guard's order for them all to shut-up. "What's with him?" He nodded over to the other passenger in the carirage. A noble looking man with a bandanna wrapped tightly around his mouth.

The Woman didn't say a word. She didn't know anyone here and she wasn't going to get into trouble if she could help it. She might be let off the hook and just kicked back to Cyrodil.

The Nord then glared venom at the thief. "Watch your tongue, you're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king."

"Ulfric? The jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion." The thief looked at him and then back at the woman his features turning from understanding to that of fear. "But if they captured you then…oh gods, where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." The Nord spoke quietly and solemnly, bending his head in sadness.

The woman bent her head back uncomfortably on the edge of the carriage, looking up at the sun that was just appearing behind some clouds. She was ignoring the two other's talk about home. Her thoughts turned back to her brother however. She had hoped that he was going to be okay without his big sister to help him out.

She sat up straight again when she saw a village come into view, flanked by two large stone towers of either side of the road, a single wooden bridge connecting the two structures. An Imperial Guard shouted at the driver of the carriage in-front and she zoned out. She swore she heard the words 'headsman' mentioned in the orders and her heart sank. Maybe she wasn't going to get out of this in one piece. Again her thoughts turned to her family who she hoped had found refuge in Cyrodil. She wasn't religious in anyway but right now she wanted to silently pray for guidance but also she just wanted to be left alone in some room.

Her thoughts were broken when the carriage suddenly stopped. She hadn't noticed that they had stopped in the little village; which name she couldn't remember. The theif's cries that he wasn't a rebel rung in her ears as they all departed from the carriage. She had never thought she would meet her end at the hands of her own kind or in an undignified manner. Hell she would rather be sold in a brothel if it meant keeping her life. She wondered if she could cut a deal with the Imperial captain to spare her own life.

"Step forward when your name is called." An Imperial ordered and pointed the feathered end of his quill at the group and he slowly went down the list of names, starting with the leader of the rebellion and then working his way down the list, each time he called a name and someone stepped forward and over towards the block; eventually only the horse thief and herself remained. "Lokir of Rorikstead."

The thief named Lokir stepped forward, looking desperately at the guard captain. "Please, I'm not a rebel you can't do this!" Knowing that he stood no chance to survive he ran, ignoring the captain's orders. He got part way up the path before a pair of arrows punched through his skin. He fell lazily to the floor, a small pool of blood oozing around him.

The woman winced a little. Her back stung with mental pain as she felt the arrows strike Lokir in the back. She shuffled on the spot uncomfortably and shook the mental pain from her mind. She physically stiffened when the guard in-front of her eyed her suspiciously and waved her over.

"What's your name?" The guard asked as nicely as he could but at the same time, giving her a hard, cold stare.

"Karin, Karin Silvers" She spoke quietly and looked at him square in the eye, batting her eyelashes to show off her beautiful Hazel coloured eyes in an attempt to seduce the guard.

The guard wasn't having any of it. "You're a long way from the Imperial City. What are you doing in Skyrim?" When she didn't say a word he turned to his captain. "What should we do with her? She's not on the list."

The Captain smiled a little and looked at her colleague. "Forget the list. She goes to the block."

The guard nodded and turned back to Karin. "I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Cyrodil." He looked at her for a moment and then pointed over to the group. "Follow the captain prisoner."

Karin let out a mental sigh in her head and nodded. She wasn't going to get out of this alive. She had to come to terms with that now or she would face a difficult life in the afterlife…if such a place existed. She would soon find out. She ignored the talk between the general and the rebel leader. Her thoughts wondering what the afterlife was like, maybe she would find her uncle and aunt when she arrived or she would find the love of her afterlife.

A faint roar nearby snapped her out of her thoughts. Her head turning skyward to where she thought the roar came from. She didn't know what made that roar but somehow she felt that she didn't want to know what made the nice. Could it be a dragon? It was the only thing that she knew that would roar and fly.

"The gods are smiling on me today imperials, how about yours?" A rebel taunted as he was made to kneel down next to the block.

The headsman said nothing to the rebel. The only words spoken were the actions that he took. His burly hands griped the large axe. He brought it up and down in one fell swoop. The Axe thumped loudly around them and the birds chirped loudly in response as the now separated head rolled into the small box near the block. Various outcries from both the Rebels and the Empire echoed around her which then died down as the captain made her next choice.

"Next up the Renegade from Cyrodil!"

Karin rolled her eyes. She was hardly a renegade by any standards. All she did was cross the border between Cyrodil down south and Skyrim and automatically she's labelled a rebel and a renegade? She glanced over to Ulfric, the leader of the rebels. Two things went through her mind while being forced to march up to the block. The first was why didn't they execute him first? If he was so important why not kill him first and foremost? And secondly why was the Imperial Captain not following protocol? As far as she was aware, unnamed or unlisted prisoners should be jailed not executed.

She let out a quiet 'oof' as her neck connected with the wooden block sharply and she looked at the headsman with a stare that said 'If your going to do it, get on with it'. Then a slight movement caused her to shift her sight behind it to a large tower like structure and she openly gasped in awe.

Ontop of the tower, a dragon had just perched itself, looking down at the group that was gathered. It's pure red eyes looking around and then for a moment, they settled on her. It roared and suddenly the sky turned orange, fireballs erupting from the grey clouds and striking at the ground around them. The dragon then roared again.

Karin felt her world go upside down as some unseen force threw her to the ground. Her head slammed against the stone ground, causing a sharp pain to spike through her head. She let out a small groan and slowly stood up, stumbling a little as she regained her footing. Her vision was terribly blurred, only just making out the defining features of everything.

"Come on! The gods won't give us another chance like this!" Someone shouted at her and ran into a nearby tower. "Come on!"

Her brain wasn't functioning properly. All it told her was that she was hurt and that she needed to find safety. And the figure shouting at her provided such a thing. She stumbled forward, her walk wobbly and all over the place, narrowly avoiding a fireball that shot down from the sky and slammed into the stone next to her. Eventually she made it inside the tower without any further injury.

Her breath was short and laboured while she leaned against the stone wall. She was vaguely aware of a trail of blood dripping from her lip from where she hit the ground but her brain didn't register it. She was still dazed from the turn of events.

"Was that a dragon? Like the legends?" The blonde Nord asked Ulfric.

"Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric replied. The tower shook violently and another roar echoed around them. "We need to get out of here!"

The Nord nodded and pointed up the staircase. "Come on, we can get out up here!" He ran up the steps two at a time for a moment, pausing for a moment and turning around to look at Karin. "Come on friend!"

Karin held up a single finger from her bound hands as her brain started to piece itself back together, the daze fading and her vision clearing up. "Okay. Firstly I'm no friend. Because of you I was nearly killed. Secondly I've only just met you, so don't mind me being careful around you due to reason one."

The Nord looked at her for a moment. "My name is Ralof and at the moment your only way of leaving here alive lies in sticking together or that dragon will pick you off."

Karin glared at Ralof for a moment. This wasn't him telling her to move for her own safety, this felt like blackmail. If she didn't follow Ralof then she would be killed by the dragon. "Alright, we're allies for now." She pushed off the wall with her butt and followed the Nord up the stone steps. Her cloth-bag shoes did nothing to protect her feet from the harsh material.

They had only made it about halfway up the steps when the dragon burst through the wall, sending stone and mortar everywhere. Karin was thrown back into Ralof, who quickly caught her without trouble. The dragon pulled its back and let out a torrent of flames through the gap, the pair watching the display of power with a mix of awe and horror. The dragon seemingly happy with its destruction pushed off from the side of the tower and flew off.

"Thank you." Karin muttered and stepped out of the Ralof's grasp and smiled weakly.

Ralof nodded and stepped forward, peering out of the gap that the Dragon had made and smiled a little. "Look over there at the Inn, you can jump through." His gaze met hers for a moment and as if sensing what she was about to say, held up a hand. "We'll follow when we can."

Karin looked at Ralof for a moment and nodded. She had to get through this day if she was to see her family again and she intended to do just that. She looked through the gap towards the hole in the roof of the inn and let out a shaky breath. She would die if she misjudged the jump. She took a few steps back and glared at her objective before running a few steps and leaping from the edge.

She soared through the air for a split second. The feeling of the chilly wind biting on her exposed skin was somewhat refreshing as she soared. She landed on the wooden floor and rolled with the landing. Kneeling on one knee and glancing back at the tower. A small wave of pride swelled in her chest for a moment but an echoing roar shock her out of her thought. She had to move now. Forcing her legs to move she got up and walked to a hole through the floor and jumped through it.

The entire town was devastated by the dragon attack. The wooden buildings were mostly destroyed with rampaging fires spreading form house to house rapidly. The stone towers were holding up against the attacks but for how much longer would be anyone's guess. In the distance she could hear Imperial soldiers yelling out orders to their comrades and the constant beating of the dragon's wings.

As Karin exited the inn she saw an Imperial Guard and a man shouting over to a young boy who was bent down next to a dead body.

"Haming, come over here! That's a good lad." The Guard praised the boy and looked up as a dragon landed just feet away from the guard and rained down fire. The flames missed their intended target by mere inches. He let out a breath and spotted her nearby and waved her over. "You're still alive? Stick with me if you want to stay that way"

Karin glared at the guard. "Stick with you? I nearly got killed because of you lot." She was starting to think that this was going to be a bad day for her and not just for the usual reasons but as much as she didn't like it, she would have to co-operate…for now.

"Stay here with the boy, I need to find the general and join the defense." The guard said to the man. He then glanced over to Karin and waved her over again.

Karin sighed and followed after the Guard, ignoring the old mans pray for the guard and ran through the destroyed town. It was hard to believe that a single animal could cause so much destruction on such a scale and in such a short amount of time. All around her the smell of burning flesh assaulted her nose.

"Stick to the wall!" The guard shouted and they jumped down onto another pathway. He stopped for a moment and a large wing suddenly appeared from the wall next to them, throwing the guard into the wall with a loud grunt. The dragon departed after drying another guard and the pair quickly continued on, and run through a completely destroyed house, into a group of soldiers and mages.

"General Tullius!" The guard shouted and ran over to him. Karin hot on his heels, but her eyes never left the flying black shadow that circled above them.

"Hadvar! Get into the Keep! We are leaving!" The general shouted. He then turned to Karin and for a moment a look of disgust ran through his features before his features softened and pointed after Hadvar. "Run you idiot!"

Karin nodded once more, following after Hadvar towards the Keep. Her legs were starting to seize up from the amount of running they had done. She was fairly athletic by Imperial standards and definitely kept a very womanly figure about her. But she wasn't prepared to run around a town and being chased after by a dragon. In the distance she could see their destination and let out a sigh of relief. They were getting closer to safety.

When they reached the courtyard, Hadvar stopped. Ralof had appeared in-front of him wielding an axe. "Ralof! You damned traitor, out of my way!"

"We are escaping Hadvar, you cannot stop us." Ralod replied, his disappointing turning towards Karin.

"Fine! I hope the dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" Hadvar yelled at Ralof and ran ahead of the Nord. "Come on Prisoner over here!"

Ralof ran to another entrance of the keep and waved Karin over. "Come on! I can cut you loose inside!"

Karin looked at the Imperial Guard for a moment and then over to the Stormcloak at either entrance to the Keep. She didn't want to follow either of them. Both of them were equally unappealing choices; Hadvar and his Imperial guard for attempting to kill her just for entering the border of Skyrim, while Ralof's group was the reason she was going to be killed. Chances are if she was caught crossing the border, and The Stormcloaks were nowhere near her, all she would have gotten was a fine and a slap on her wrist.

She was conflicted on who to join in the Keep and she knew that time wasn't on her side. She took a step forward and the ground shook violently. Her heart sank and then started to beat thunderously in her chest as she turned around.

A pair of large, blood red eyes stared at her in the face. The dragon glared at her intently, seemingly more interesting beyond just eating her. She suddenly felt mentally exposed to the dragon and shivered as a large claw stepped forward, the dragon bearing down on her.

_Come on Karin…Move!_

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><p>I did initially plan for this to finish up the prologue and go into the world. but this chapter was approching my 3,500 MAX word limit so I have to bung it into two chapters.<br>...and also because I can't decide who I want to follow. I know it won't make a huge difference but I like these choices. I want to follow the Imperial so I can join the Legion and restore peace to Skyrim but that sounds borderline tyrany or like a dictatorship while The Stormcloaks want to give Skyrim some independence but again that sounds kinda evil if you think about what happened when other countries when independent all those years back.

So for now. I leave you with this...reviews are appriciated! Thank you to those who did review and who favourited and stuff. I can say I was not expecting it to happen XD. I came back to my computer on the same evening and WHAM! my MSN just blew up from the sheer amount of e-mails from XD


	3. Chapter 2: Beginning the Adventure

**Chapter 2:** Beginning the Adventure.

Karin's legs refused to move as the dragon drew closer to her. She could feel the warm breath on her face as the dragon sniffed at her for a moment. She didn't understand why the dragon was so interested in her. She was a nobody compared to the Imperial Soldiers and The Stormcloaks who were brandishing magic and steel at it.

The dragon took a few steps back and stared at her for what felt like a lifetime before opening its wide jaws and roaring furiously in her face. Its large muscles rippling as it bent its head back.

The breath smelled like a thousand corpses mixed in with the metallic like smell of blood. Karin broke out of her stupor and in a fit of panic and fear bolted for the door near the Nord. She didn't acknowledge him or even wait for him to open the door; she flung herself at the large wooden doors, using her shoulders to break it open and ran inside the keep. She stood in the middle of a large circular room, hunched over and started to breathe heavily, her heart thudding painfully in her chest while she attempted to get a hold of her own emotions and to prevent herself from fainting. She let out a strained breath and bent up straight, her hands on her back.

The room she had blindly run into was only a small circular room with a table to one side and a pair of gates leading out to the sides. A lone body rested against the table. A small pool of partially dried blood ran around the table legs. The blood stained the corner of a red/gold rug that lied in the middle of the room. She noted that apart from the Imperial flag in one side of the room. Stuffed animals adorned the various walls around the circular room.

The Nord ran in from behind her and ran up to the dead body, placing two fingers on its neck and bowing his head. "We'll meet again in Sovngarde, brother."

Karin walked up to Ralof and looked at the dead body, noting the same uniform of The Stormcloaks. He must have gotten away in the chaos but was brutally cut down or killed by either the dragon or the Imperial Guard. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Ralof ignored her for a moment, stood up straight, and looked at her straight in the face. "Looks like we're the only ones who made it." He glanced at the wooden door uneasily for a moment. "That thing was a dragon. No doubt. Just like the children's stories and legends. The harbingers of the End Times. Come here; let's see if I can get those bindings off." Ralof took out a small knife from a pocket and indicated for her to get closer.

Karin slowly obliged and held out her bound hands for him to cut through. Despite the fact that she couldn't break them herself, the knife cut cleanly through in a single cut. The bindings fell to the floor, releasing her wrists from the painful grasp. She gently rubbed her wrists and rotated them a little to get circulation back to her wrists.

"There you go." He muttered and put the knife away. "You may as well take Gunjar's gear. He won't need it himself." Ralof instructed and helped her to take off his armour and remove his axe from his death like grip.

Karin took the clothes, looked at Ralof, and cleared her throat loudly. "A little privacy if you would please?" She didn't relish the thought of changing into some clothes with a man nearby but she couldn't be too picky in this situation. It doesn't mean that she was going to freely show off her goods however.

Ralof seemed to get the idea and nodded. "I'll go see if we can get out of the gates. Why don't you give that axe a few swings too?" He turned and walked off to the furthest gate.

Karin looked at him for a moment before turning her back to him and shrugging off her rag shirt and cloth bag shoes. Immediately the chill of the room assaulted her skin, causing her to freeze instantly. She went about quickly sorting out the Cuirass to throw on.

Ralof walked over to the gate and attempted to open it. Shaking it a little in an attempt to force it open but saw the lock and knew he wasn't going to shift it. "This one is locked…let's try the other one." He turned on the spot and started to walk slowly to the other gate. He couldn't help but glance in the woman's direction. He didn't mean to look. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but glance at her skinny, yet athletic form. He glanced ahead of him, not wanting to annoy the woman. She had often heard from his sister's husband that a woman's wrath was not worth the trouble.

Karin let out a satisfied sigh and finally clipped the last fitting of the cuirass into place. From what she could tell, the cuirass had a layer of chainmail underneath a layer of leather armour with a dark blue sash crossing over her chest. The leather boots felt a size too big but again, she couldn't afford to be picky. It was uncomfortable footwear, or running around barefoot. "And let me guess…the other is too?" he gripped the axe that she had taken from the body and gave it a few swings and gave a look of disgust. She hated axes since she had learned to swing a weapon…and an incident with her father and an adventure in the woods when they needed some firewood.

Ralof tried the gate and nodded. "It is indeed. There's no way to open it form this side." He brought a hand up to his chin and started to think when a pair of heavy footsteps echoed in front of them. "Imperials! Take cover!" his voice dropped to a whisper and he quickly hugged the wall with his back, his hand drawing his own axe.

Karin hugged the wall on the opposite side and glared at Ralof. "Can't we reason with them?" She hissed back quietly at him. She wasn't prepared to kill people in cold blood, especially those who could easily kill them in a fight.

"Get that gate open!" A woman said from behind the gate.

Karin looked at the gate for a moment and smirked, drawing the axe and gripping the wooden grip tightly. Giving Ralof an 'I'll shut up now' look, the voice belonged to the same guard who said (not in her exact words) 'fuck the list, kill her anyway'. She wanted nothing more than some sort of revenge.

The gate rumbled open and the two guards ran through the doorway, they were not expecting an ambush from two random people inside the keep.

Ralof took the other guard, drawing an axe from seemingly nowhere and assaulting the guard with a flurry of attacks.

Karin took the captain, ducking under a blade and forcefully kicking her in the chest, bringing her axe down on her neck. Her arm shuddered as the blade cut into the skin and muscle. The guard collapsed with a loud scream. Blood spewed from the wound. Karin lifted her arm up to deal the final blow.

"Wait!" The guards shouted and held up a hand. "Have mercy! I yield!" Her skin was rapidly turning paler as she lost more and more blood.

Karin glared at the woman for a moment, staring daggers at her. "Mercy? You were ready to kill me on the block just for crossing the border! You weren't going to bother with things like protocol or interviews. You were thinking 'Nah, let's just kill her like a Stormcloaks and not deal with the two people who shouldn't be killed." She gripped her axe tightly but let her arm fall. "No second chances" She spun around on the spot and brought the axe around, the captain's head coming clean off and hitting the stone floor with a loud thud. A blood fountain spewed from the neck of the torso, which slumped to the floor and slowly came to a squelching stop.

"You handle a weapon well. See if you can't find a key on their bodies." Ralof instructed while he patted down the Imperial Guard he had killed.

Karin nodded and went over to the headless torso of the Imperial Guard and searched through the various pockets and bags the guard had on her. She found the key she was looking for but while she was looting the corpse, she decided to pick up the sword and gave it a few practise swings. She smiled to herself, dropped the axe on the torso, and followed Ralof to the other door. She brought the key out and quickly slammed it into the lock, feeling the lock turn and click and threw the door open.

"That's it! Now let's get out of here before the dragon brings the tower down on our heads." Ralof instructed and started to lead the way through the stone corridor. A number of torch brackets hung on the side of the wall, illuminating the way with a brilliant fire.

Karin nodded and quickly followed along behind him while trying to tie up her sword's sheath up to her clothing. The cuirass she was wearing was at least a size too big for her and it didn't help that to smell of dead flesh clung to the fabrics. Eventually she managed to loop the leather strap on her sheath around the belt on the cuirass. It hung loosely but it would have to do until she could find some more appropriate clothing. She walked ahead of Ralof, wanting to put as much distance between her and the dragon as possible. She couldn't get those bright red eyes out of her mind no matter how much she tried.

A rumbling noise shook her from her thoughts and she looked up and faintly heard the roar of the dragon. "Look out!" Ralof shouted and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back and a split second later, a ton of stone and rock fell through a gap, blocking the way. "Damn, that dragon doesn't give up easy."

Karin shivered when the thought of the dragon going after her specifically entered her mind. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks. No, she could not let fear control her and she refused to let that happen. She eyed a door to the side and pointed to it. "I guess apart from going back, we press forward." She moved over to the door, put a hand on the handle, and stopped when she heard some voices.

"Grab everything important and let's go, the dragon is burning everything down to the ground."

"Okay, just give me a few seconds to get some more potions"

Karin looked at Ralof for a moment; she waved her hand down, indicating for him to be silent, and opened the door quietly.

The room was a small storage room and a lot of it had already ransacked. Various cups, plates and other various items littered the floor. At the other end of the room, a pair of Imperial Guards was searching through the barrels. A small brown bag lay nearby, almost to the brim with the number of potions they had obtained.

Ralof nodded and snuck past her, keeping low and drawing his axes, ready to strike at any given moment.

Karin was nearby, copying Ralof's movements with her own sword raised and ready like a coiled viper. She put a foot forward and froze, her foot gently tapping a cup that had been left on the floor. It clattered loudly and bumped into a glass, a loud tapping noise echoing around them.

"It's the Stormcloaks!" The Imperial Guard pointed at her, drew his sword, and ran towards her., unaware that Ralof was nearby and waiting. He screamed as a pair of large iron axes slammed into his neck, cutting through various tendons and veins.

The other guard ignored his partner's screams, instead choosing to advance on Karin. He sneered at the girl for a moment, sizing her up and launched his attack, choosing to go for her neck and swung his sword around.

Karin smiled and noticed the familiar look in the soldier's eye. One told her that he was overconfident in his ability and that he was underestimating her. A fatal mistake. She brought her sword to the side, catching the guard's blade with a loud clang and spun the sword around. The Guards sword clattered to the side.

The guard looked at his opponent with wide eyes, his sword wrenched from his grip in an expert disarm manoeuvre.

Karin grinned and put the sword's tip to the guard's throat with a small smirk. "Do yourself a favour, don't underestimate a woman." She placed the palm of her free hand on the pommel and thrust the sword forward, the blade cutting through the throat and poking out the other side. She then withdrew the blade, drops of blood flowing with the blade and staining the floor as the body slumped onto the ground.

"See if you can find any potions. We'll need them." Ralof instructed. He carefully sidestepped around and over the pair of corpses that they had just added to the death count, and bent down to pick up the small sack of potions.

Karin nodded and went over to the stack of barrels that the guards were rooting through and lifted off the wooden lid and flung it to one side. Inside she found a generous amount of health potions along with some potions to restore her fatigue and magicka. She quickly glanced around and found a single-strap backpack to store the items on one of the dead guards (luckily, it had no blood on it). After she placed the potions carefully into the pack and swung it on her back, she rejoined Ralof at the door, opened it for her, and walked on ahead.

Not to her surprise were more boring stone corridors with the torch brackets lighting the way at various intervals. She wondered why all the keeps that the Imperial Guard had were always so…boring on the inside and yet managed to look so grand on the exterior. The only furniture around was a few wooden benches and a unit with nothing on it. She assumed that someone had taken everything when the dragon had shown up.

The clash of steel on steel roused her interested as they rounded the corner. She drew her sword and ran after Ralof.

"Trolls blood, it's a torture room!" He exclaimed, his voice partially drowned out as lightning shot past them. He drew his ask and ran into the fray.

Karin ran in behind him and yelped as a large war hammer slammed down in front of her, breaking the stone slab with an audible sound. She glanced at the bulky man who was wielding the weapon and stabbed forward, her feet planted on the floor and her arm thrust out.

The Guard jumped to the side, the blade cutting his arm slightly. Enraged he gripped the hammer again and swung it around in a full circle.

Karin brought up her sword and braced herself against the impact. Her sword clashed with the hammer but it did nothing to sway the path of the oncoming weapon. It slammed into her stomach with such force; she felt all the air of her lungs suddenly vanish. The impact carried her off her feet and into a nearby wall a sickening click echoing around her followed by an intense pain in her shoulder. She slid down it and let out a pained groan, her eyes starting to water.

The guard smirked and walked over to the fallen woman and raised his warhammer overhead, ready to deal the final blow to her.

* * *

><p>I would have made this one longer. The problem is I have a personal word limit of 3,500 words per chapter and by the time I decided to do another word count, I was way over so this was the best split I could find.<br>For some reason this is insanely popular...in the last week I got like...a ton of alerts and favourites and even a handful of reviews. Thanks for all the support guys!

I'm going to guess as to what people are wondering how I'm going to play as Karin...Honestly I don't know. I went through a sort of...class crisis and I was unsure if I wanted to be a Mage, Warrior, tank, healer and so on. My main character (who will make an appearance don't you worry) tends to take what I want and my other characters take on the smaller roles. So till I work through that...I'll just keep you guys guessing. (Although I have been thinking making Karin my mage...I am missing a mage character)

I hope you lot are actually enjoying yourself reading this because all I wanna do is play the utter crap outta Skyrim but get to far ahead and well...I'm going to forget things.


	4. Chapter 3: Escape

**Chapter 3: Escape**

The next thing the guard felt was his body flare up in pain as fire engulfed his body. He immediately dropped the hammer and attempted to pat down the flames but to no avail. His large body hit the floor with a loud thud and the flames soon died down.

Karin panted heavily as the flames retracted back into her hand and the fire died down. Sweat drenched her forehead while her shoulder throbbed painfully in her arm. She was certainly grateful for the fact her father had decided to teach her some magic by using the language of the elves but the only ones she could actually use was fire or healing. Even then, she used the magic sparingly. She was no mage nor had any natural talent for spells. She was more surprised at the fact she was able to cast the magic while in intense pain. Her spare arm dropped to the side and smiled weakly when one of the Stormcloaks came over to help her.

"Was Jarl Ulfric with you?" Ralof asked the other Stormcloak.

He shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him since the dragon showed up."

Karin looked at them for a moment and noted that they were all Nords. It wasn't surprising seeing as Skyrim was home of the Nords. She looked up to the woman who decided to help her.

"It's nothing serious, it's just dislocated." She reassured and dug out a small splint from her pocket. "Here, take this, it's going to hurt."

Karin looked at the splint and nodded, taking it with her free hand and placing it in between her teeth and preparing herself for the worst. She took a few deep breaths through the stick and nodded once more when she was ready.

The woman nodded and gently placed her hands around Karin's shoulder, working out what the best way was to solve the problem. It felt like a minor dislocation so it wouldn't need any major medical procedure. "Okay, this is going to hurt…a lot…but it'll fix the problem." She waited for a few moments. "Ready? 1…2…3!" On three, she forcefully shoved the joint back into position.

A sickening click echoed around the chamber. Karin let out an audible pained whimper through the stick; she rested on the floor for a moment then decided to stand up. As she stood up, her shoulder flared up in pain, another quiet whimper escaping her lips. She removed one of the red potions from her bag and poured half of it down her throat, the familiar taste of strawberry filling her mouth. She knew that only half a potion would only act as a sort of painkiller. She couldn't afford to use the entire thing when they still had a long journey ahead of them.

"T-Thanks" Karin muttered and rotated her shoulder a little. It still hurt a little but until they escaped from Helgen, it was all that she could do until she could get some better supplies.

Ralof and his companion waited for a moment when something caught his eye inside a cage. "Looks like there's something inside…the gate's locked."

Karin walked over to the locked and looked at it for a moment. It looked like a normal lock but somehow it looked different.

"Here take these lockpicks and see if you can get it open" Ralof handed her a handful of picks "We're going on ahead to scout out the area, come join us when your ready"

Karin held up a hand to stop Ralof from leaving. "Hang on a second. These locks are different from the ones in Cyrodil." She pushed one of the picks in and frowned when she confirmed her suspicions. The locks in Cyrodill were often deep and had a number of pins that needed to be lifted to unlock the door. These felt different however. She had picked plenty of locks before…mostly to sneak into (her now ex) boyfriends house and to sneak back home.

Ralof looked at her for a moment and nodded. He took out the small knife he used to cut her bindings and smiled. "Here, use this and see if you can unlock it."

Karin took the knife for a moment and was about to ask what she was meant to do when she noted that Ralof had left her to figure it out. She sighed and looked at the lock and placed the pick inside along with the knife. She rattled the pick around for a moment and found that the lock was more of a delicate lock system. The lock wouldn't turn if the pick wasn't in that sweet spot to let it unlock. With the knife, she carefully moved the lock around until an audible click sounded and the door swung open. Overjoyed with her success she quickly looked inside and scooped up a number of gold coins and a book, which looked like it detailed a type of spell. She would have to read that later. She stuffed it in her pack, and quickly followed Ralof and his companions.

Unlike the previous passageways, which were all wide and brightly lit, these felt tiny and cramped. Small torches lined the wall near an iron gate that lead to a small cell area. Inside the various stone walled cells, she would see a small patch of hay or a skeleton. She shivered and the image of starving to death crept into her mind. She shook her head and forced it out. She could not afford any more distractions. Turning the corner from the cramped hallway, she caught up with Ralof and his companions and nodded that she was ready.

Ralof smiled and led her down some dark, damp stairs, ignoring the sounds of water that dripped from the stones above them and run ahead into a large room.

Karin walked into the room and took a quick look around, gasping a little when her eyes settled on a large, iron cage. The iron had rusted horribly and inside of it was a pure white skeleton, many bones missing from its leg as it sat awkwardly in the cage. Next to the cage was another with a dead Nord inside. Karin poked the skin and shuddered when she felt bone press into her finger. This Nord had been denied food and water for a very long time. She forced herself to tear her gaze away from the cage and continued following Ralof through a large hole in a stonewall.

She was slightly surprised when she saw the cave behind the wall. She hadn't expected that to be there. She assumed that the dragon attack might have shook the wall loose and revealed the hidden passageway. Maybe fate broke down the wall. Karin had often wondered if the gods actually had a hand in the events that happened around her but she doubt it. Why have the gods not intervened in the war that has gripped Skyrim? A group of voices echoed nearby, the sound of running water partially drowning out their voices.

"Sir! We should leave while we still can!"

"No, we need to find the General and then get the hell out of here."

"Sir, the dragon is still out there, we'd be slaughtered."

Karin and Ralof nodded to each other and the group drew their weapons. Karin's left hand engulfed in a fiery, mini inferno and she led the charge into the large chamber.

When she ran into the large chamber, she quickly took note of the surroundings. She was on a sort of raised platform that ran the edge of the room, connected to another platform by an arched bridge. A stream of water ran from one end of the room and under the arched bridge. A pair of men stood near the stream, talking to each other.

Running quickly and quietly she ran up to the closest guard. Her sword went up and round, stabbing down through his chest and into his heart. She quickly retracted the blade; blood glistened with the motion and splattered the stone floor.

The guard twitched for a moment in a kneeling position and looked up at the woman with a mixture of shock and anger. He collapsed loudly, face first on the cold floor. His sword clanged loudly on the floor, alerting the other guards.

"For Skyrim!" Ralof shouted and ran after her, brandishing his axes at the commanding officer, his companions offering their support.

Karin ignored the battle cries of Ralof and the Stormcloaks. She had to focus on her own battle. Ducking under an arrow, she charged at the archer. She had to close the distance fast if she didn't want to end up as an Imperial pincushion.

The archer saw the approaching target and pulled back on the bowstring, the nocked arrow aiming for her shin. He took a few steps back and fired the shot, the string letting out an audible twang when he released the arrow.

Karin saw the shot coming from a mile away and quickly stepped to the side. The arrow bounced on the stone tile where her foot was a just second ago. She curled her fist into a ball, the flames becoming more intense and threw her hand forward; opening her hand and a wave of intense flames erupted from her hand.

The Guard looked at the flames and sidestepped to the side. The flames licked at his legs for a moment but then his uniform erupted in flames. He yelled in surprised and attempted to pat out the flames on his uniforms, but only succeeded in fanning the flames, jumping up to his sleeve. Within seconds, his entire body was lit up like a bonfire. His skin fell apart from the heat and blood spreading around the twitching form.

Karin smiled and shook the flames from her hand, extinguishing them and smiled. She had often regretted using a mix between magic and weapons. She remembered that her brother specialised in weapons more than magic and he was unbeatable. A sharp pain in her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. An arrow protruded from the mix of mail and leather. With a growl, she ripped out the arrowhead and glared at the new comers to the fight, coming from the way they needed to go. She moved her head to the side and another arrow shot past her neck. Once more, she brought her hand around and flames shot forward.

One of the guards didn't see the blast of flame and was fully engulfed in them, his screams echoing around the chamber and collapsed to the floor, a small, human bonfire.

The other guard was smarter than his comrade was. Dodging to the side and quickly closing the gap between him and Karin. His sword raised and poised for a quick strike to the arrow wound.

Karin brought her blade around and parried the blow, the clashing of steel on steel echoed loudly as the two were locked in a deadly battle of power. Karin growled, attempting to keep the guard's blade away fron her shoulder that was inching closer and closer to it. She could feel the blade touching her shoulder, her heart beating faster and faster…

The guard shuddered violently and collapsed into her arms, a large arrow sticking out form his back and his neck. Blood spewed from the two arrow wounds violently, splashing her across the face.

Karin bent down slightly from the sudden weight, letting out a small gasp and threw the guard to the side then dusted herself off. She looked over at Ralof, who had picked up a bow and quickly assisted her before something happened. She nodded her head. "Thank her." Her voice was weak and quiet. The day was starting to take its toll on her.

"Let's go on ahead, see if the way is clear." Ralof muttered and walked past her. He patted her shoulder warmly when he passed her and walked on ahead.

A blonde female Stormcloak swiped some blood from her face and turned their backs to them. "I'll stay here and keep watch in-case Ulfric comes through. Talos guide you both." She bowed and disappeared back towards the torture room.

Karin watched her depart for a moment before turning around and joining Ralof in a smaller passageway. More torches lined the edges in the tunnel leading to a lever.

"Let's see where this goes." Ralof spoke to himself quietly, and pulled on the lever. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Then a loud clanking noise sounded in-font of them, the bridge slowly dropping so they could pass. It hit the other side with a loud bang and the passageway fell silent.

Karin smiled and felt in her gut that the exit was inching ever closer. With haste, she ran over the wooden bridge and stopped. More running water ran through this large chamber in a small stream, the sound intensifying with the echo that it produced. She turned and waved over at Ralof. "Come on! I'm getting bored of these caves already!" Her voice echoed spookily around them, causing her body to shiver.

Ralof smiled and quickly ran over the bridge. He stopped partway when a loud roar sounded above them and the entire cave shook. He glanced up and saw a rock come lose from its formation. He jumped forward, landing with an 'ouf' and quickly turned around just in time to see the rock smash the bridge into pieces. He stood up and dusted off his clothing. "Looks like the others will have to find another way. Let's continue on."

Karin nodded and took a few steps forward. She was aware of the running waters nearby and that would be able to help her move through the cave without a light source. She decided against that course of action. She walked up to one of the torch brackets and ripped it from its holdings. She hissed when some of the hot ash drooped on her bare hand. She shook the ash off, the fire whooshing with the motion and examined her hand.

Ralof extended a hand out with a smile, holding a pair of thick, brown leather gloves. "Here, take these." He smiled warmly.

Karin let out a small smirk when she took the gloves from Ralof. "If you were a man, you'd never let a woman lead the way or to hold a torch, red hot with fire." She placed one of the gloves on, handing Ralof the torch with the other hand. She quickly placed the other glove on, tightened the bindings around her wrist, and took the torch back from him. "Come on, I just want to get out of here." She took a few steps forward and held the torch up high.

The flames shimmered off the flowing waters and off the damp walls of the cave as the pair moved forward, placing their feet carefully on the slippery stones below them to avoid an undignified injury. The pair was silent during the travel the only sounds were that of the flowing waters and that of their boots against the gravel and stones. They soon stopped when they came to a large wall of stone, blocking the path forward, only the water managing to slip through the small crack in the bottom of the pile.

"This way is a no go. Unless you Stormcloaks have a fancy way to turn into water or some sort of fish, we need to go around." Karin poked the crack with her free hand; faintly hoping that messing around with the crack would prompt the entire thing would collapse.

"We can go thought this way." Ralof pointed out the side-entrance. Taking a few steps down the passageway and looking at her.

Karin sighed and wearily nodded. Nothing was going her way today. Apart from escaping from death, and even then her saviour was a dragon. She was certain that the gods had decreed that they would not escape Helgen. If so then she would defy the gods and escape, and then meet up with her family as soon as she could. She stood upright and followed Ralof through the tight passage, holding the torch up high so that he could see.

The passage soon opened up into a large circular cave, natural light flooded through the cracks in the roof, various silk cocoons littered the outer walls. Karin's stomach did a flip when she realised what the cocoons belonged too.

Various large spiders dropped down on thin, silver threads from the ceiling. A large number of them were small baby spiders covered in small brown hairs, but two of them were the same size as Karin, covered in large, brown hair that made them look menacing and stuff of nightmares. Eights eyes upon each head glared at they prey.

Karin felt her entire body paralyse with fear as the monsters approached her. Already she was visualising the spiders injecting her with the venom that would freeze her in place and then wrapped up in a silky cocoon to die a slow and painful death.

"Look out!" Ralof shouted and stepped in front of her, releasing an arrow at the nearest baby arrow, punching it through its head and killing it instantly.

Karin stepped out of her stupor and drew her sword with her other hand and stepped forward. Stabbing her torch into the face of one of the baby spiders and twisting around one of the large spider's legs, stabbing her blade down into one of its eyes.

The Spider howled in agony and attempted to shake the blade out, its many legs failing about. Soon it became motionless when another pair of arrows penetrated its eyes.

Ralof swiftly took out the other spiders with expert aim and dexterity, loading up one arrow and releasing them rapidly. When all the spiders were dead, Ralof shivered and walked over to the next passageway. "I hate those things. Too many eyes."

Karin chuckled a little and nodded to herself, knowing what he meant by the eyes. The torch she had extinguished when she shoved it in the face of the baby spider, so she threw it to one side and quickly caught up with Ralof. "Where did find the bow and arrow?"

"I found them on the guards that we killed earlier. They had plenty of bows and arrows. I figured our village could use them in case of a bandit attack." He explained as he led the way through the passageway.

The passageway led out to another very large cavern, the sound of a small waterfall splashing against the rock to her left and under a stone bridge that led deeper into the chamber. Her gut instinct telling her that freedom was so close and she hastily ran ahead, running over the bridge.

"Stop! There's a bear over there, you see her?" Ralof whispered urgently, crouch walking over to her and pointing in front of her.

Karin had frozen when Ralof told her to stop and now saw the large, black mass of a bear a fair distance ahead of them. She glanced to the side and saw the passageway continuing in that direction. The bear was not blocking their path.

"I'd rather not tangle with her right now, we should sneak around if we can" Ralof suggested, and then held out his bow to her. "Or you can use my bow and get the drop on her. I'll follow your lead."

Karin glanced at the bow and considered taking out the bear. It would only take one well-placed shot to kill it and she could probably strip it of its fur and hide to get some gold coins, but that ran the risk of being killed. On the other hand, she could sneak past with her life but lighter in terms of gold. It is not as if she couldn't find some work when she got out anyway.

She put a finger to her mouth, pointed towards the wall, and started to crouch walk towards the passageway, hugging the wall as best she could, taking careful note of anything on the ground that might awaken the bear from its slumber. Her boots stapped quietly on the stone but for a sickening moment, she thought the bear had awoken, watching in fear as it tossed and turned but remained still seconds later.

She didn't stop sneaking around the bear until she was well and truly clear of the animal. She ignored the set of bones that littered the edge of the cave floor and instead focused on the chilly breeze that embraced her. Ecstatic she ran forward towards the light that paved the way back to the outside world and into the world of Skyrim.

* * *

><p>And so, we finally get to the end of the Prologue and actually get into the world of Skyrim. I tell you now it is REALLY hard to juggle two characters, especially when one is for writing reasons and the other is for general gaming.<br>Next Chapter will explain in depth about Karin's past and what-not for those who are interested.  
>Karin is still up for grabs in terms of archetype! At the moment she's really leaning towards Stealth but for the moment, I'll keep that to myself!<p>

I'd like to thank everyone for the large amount of support that you've given me and the reviews and the alerts. Everyday when I came home from work I'd see even more and wonder "Why is this so popular?". I want to thank everyone who took a small moment of their time to review this as well. Rest Assured, Karin is going to have some interesting adventures in the future.


	5. Chapter 4: What makes a Silver a Silver

**Chapter 4: What makes a Silvers a Silvers**

The first thing Karin did when she exited the caves was to take in a deep breath of fresh air. The air felt smooth against her rough and coarse throat compared to the harsh air that was in the cave and the sunlight felt warm against her face and exposed skin. She took no notice of the biter cold that stung at the skin or the fact that the wind was mildly gusty. She was out in the open, just the way she liked it.

Ralof soon came out after her and looked around. A pair of flapping wings sounded overhead and he crouched down behind a rock. "Get down!"

Karin heard the sound as well and threw herself at the rock next to Ralof, and watched in awe as the dragon that had attacked Helgen flew off into the distance and behind the giant mountain, disappearing from view. She stood up and looked at the mountain for a moment and then at Ralof. "Guess it got bored of blowing up the village." She took a few steps forward on the pathway and looked around.

Ralof nodded in agreement and looked in the same direction, standing up and dusting off his cuirass. "You're right, looks like he's gone for good this time." He started to walk down the pathway. "We have no way to tell if anyone else made it out alive, but this place is going to be swarming with the Legion soon. We'd better clear out of here." He stopped and turned to look at Karin for a moment.

Karin nodded in agreement. "I guess we should, it would look pretty bad if we walked away from a burning village where an entire brigade of the Legion, not to mention their general was assumed to be burnt to a crisp via dragon." Her gaze went to the mountain again. She had hoped that her time in Skyrim would be free of dragons and fire. Karin was rightfully concerned about the situation. The dragon is a mindless beast, bent on destruction and if it came across her family, chances are they would burn. She had to find them.

"Karin?" A voice broke her out of her thoughts. Ralof called over to her, part of a way down the pathway. "My sister, Gerdur, runs the mill in Riverwood up the round. I'm sure she'd help you out."

Karin smiled and walked up to Ralof. As much as she had to find her family, rushing off into Skyrim without supplies, a decent weapon and armour and a map of the province would be a sure fire to get killed by a wolf, or worse, starvation. "Alright then, it's settled. You can take me to Riverwood."

Ralof looked surprised at the suggestion. "I was going to suggest that we split up, less of a chance of being captured that way." He started down the path, Karin next to him.

Karin nodded and saw what he meant. Two people would be easier to spot than a single one travelling alone but he had one major flaw in that idea. "I'm not native to Skyrim Ralof; I don't know where Riverwood is or where any town lies. My best bet is to follow you into Riverwood. From there, I can plan my next move." She grinned broadly at the Nord and walked on ahead, knowing that she had won the argument.

Skyrim was certainly a beautiful place. She had never left Cyrodil before now and thought that looked beautiful, Skyrim was something entirely different. The way the trees looked when the sun shone through the leaves, giving them a radiant silver glow. Nearby she could hear the loud splashing of the rapids. She silently swore to herself, if she saw any more water, she would need to relieve her bladder.

Ralof sighed in defeat and caught up with her. "Alright, you win. We'll head to Riverwood together," He came up alongside her and the pair started to walk the pathway away from Helgen. "Now that we aren't with the threat of being killed, maybe you'd like to explain where you got your talents from? No house wife could learn to fight like that."

Karin looked over at the Nord while they travelled down the pathway away from the burning village. "Am I right in assuming Cyrodiillian woman are common housewives?"

Ralof looked over to Karin and held up his hands in defence. "I meant no offence; many Imperial women in the Legion don't look as beautiful and radiant as you do." He stopped for a moment and looked over to the mountains in the distance then pointed at them. "Bleak Falls Barrow. Never understood how my sister could live in the shadow of such a place," he shrugged and continued down the path. "I suppose you get used to it."

Karin had looked at the ruins as well. She could admit that even just staring at the Barrow sent a shiver down her spine. There was something about the ruins that didn't settle well with her. She quickly followed Ralof and smiled a little. "So where were we?"

"You were just about to explain how you came about your skills." Ralof told her, glancing at the woman with interest.

Karin signed and put her index finger on her chin. "Where to begin…Well my dad was a General in the Legion back home and often spent most of his time with his men and sorting out things in Cyrodiil like bandits and whatnot but when he was home, I was often taught on how to use a sword. My dad wanted me to enter the Legion under his command as a daughter-father type of thing and eventually take over command of his unit." She brought a hand up to her neck and removed a hidden amulet and took it off then opened up the locket.

Inside the picture was a picture of a short, balding man and a woman with flowing dark red hair. Each one occupied one part of the amulet. Under the man was a young boy and under the woman was a younger version of her.

"The Silvers family. My mum was often called the firey redhead, probably because she brought the magic into our family when she married father but he was the one who taught me how to use it. Being in the Legion had its benefits" Karin summarised while she put the locker's chain around her neck and put it under the cuirass.

"So why follow me and not Hadvar back in Helgen?" Ralof enquired.

"Firstly, the dragon kind of landed right next to me, even if I had more time I'd probably follow you and secondly, I don't agree with the empire most of the time. But at the same time…I don't agree with you Stormcloaks either when I think about it."

The silence stretched out uncomfortably between the two for a moment while they followed the pathway. Mother Nature had decided to give them a sunny afternoon for the stroll despite the massacre at Helgen, it was the gods way of covering up blood shed.

Ralof ignored her previous comment and instead, "It sounded like you had a future with the Legion back at home, why come into Skyrim? Why risk capture to come into another province?"

Karin sighed and looked up at the sky. The clouds were starting to clear away, the sun just partially hidden behind some of the white fluffy things. "The Dark Brotherhood received a contract to assassinate our family a few months back. On the way to the Imperial City, my father was assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood. I used up my savings to get us passage into Skyrim to get away from the Brotherhood. At the ambush, my mother and brother got away while I got captured and the rest you know."

"Sounds rough but you do realise that The Dark Brotherhood operates within Skyrim too? Your in as much danger here as you were in Cyrodiil." He stopped at a bend in the path and gave her a hard stare.

Karin nodded. "They operate throughout Tamriel. I'm betting on the chance that each province is separate from the others and such contracts won't be passed on for at least a good few months which would give me time to come up with a plan, plus The Dark Brotherhood aren't in as much power as they were two hundred years ago." She stopped next to Ralof and looked over near the path at three identical looking stones that was roughly the same height as her.

Ralof pointed over to them "These are three of thirteen Guardian Stones that dot Skyrim's Landscape. Go ahead and have a look for yourself." He stepped down the pathway a little and watched her.

Karin stepped up on the platform and ran her hand over each of the three stones. Her fingers traced the engravings that dotted each stone; carvings of the constellations of the guardian stones were vaguely visible on each stone column. From what she could remember, from left to right, they were the thief, mage and warrior constellations. She often recalled hearing many people say that the stars would shape her destiny for her future life. She had often disregarded that fact; her destiny was her own and no one else has the power to shape or control it. Not even the gods.

Yet she couldn't help but feel the need for some sort of guidance during the trying times that no doubt laid ahead of her. Who wouldn't after being attacked by a dragon? Her hand briefly settled on the warrior stone, feeling how smooth the stone was and knelt down in front of it. She had hoped that her prayer would somehow reach her brother Flynn who was with her mother in Skyrim. The last time she had seen him was fighting a handful of the Legion while fleeing the ambush, and he knew that he would have prayed to the sign of the warrior before they left Cyrodiil.

Ralof's voice broke her out of her prayer "You're worried about your family aren't you?" he spoke up, his arms crossed over his chest while he waited patiently for her to finish.

She nodded once and stood up, dusting off some of the stones that clung to her legs. "Who wouldn't be when you're in a new province ravaged by a war that you Nords started."

Ralof's features narrowed and he took a step forward. "We did not start this war! Your Empire started it when they occupied Skyrim!"

Karin stepped up to Ralof, her eyes narrowing like a cat's and poked him in the chest as hard as she could muster. "The Empire has been in Skyrim for decades! It started when Ulfric killed the High King!"

"The King was choking Skyrim and bowing to the whim of the Empire! He was not a true Nord!"

"Skyrim was at peace!" Karin's voice rose to a shrill and turned away from him, her arms shaking in anger. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and turned to face Ralof. "I'm sorry. It is just everywhere you go its pointless war, killing, and fights over pointless issues. Blood feuds between families and the likes. I'm so sick of it all."

Ralof placed a hand on her hand. "It's alright. Come, we need to get to Riverwood before the Legion finds us, we're not in Stormcloak territory so we best be off."

Karin nodded and smiled. "Alright." She started to walk down the path, listening to the noise of the river nearby. She didn't mean to shout at Ralof like that. It was not for her to Judge Ralof's actions or motivations for fighting with the Stormcloaks. At the core, he was simply fighting to give Skyrim back her independence from the Empire. To him that was a good idea to give the Nords back their province and independence from the Empire.

However, to Karin it would only lead to more war. Power eventually corrupts even the most noble of figures, kings and advisers more so due to the power given to them to govern a part of Skyrim or any place for that matter. Rarely had she seen a king or political adviser fall to the jingle of coins in a purse. Power corrupts and power will be abused if you give it to the corrupt.

"Your family must have been hit hard by battles back in Cyrodiil." Ralof spoke out from the blue. He wasn't looking at her but straight ahead, his features relaxed and soft.

Karin looked over to him for a brief moment and then back to the path, nodding once. "The whole deal with the Thalmor's was the first major skirmish I was in…My father had secretly led a small force of, well rebels, to oppose them and I came along…he lost one hundred men in that skirmish." She continued to walk ahead and stopped, looking out at the river. "War only brings about destruction and misery…and that's all there is to it." She walked over to the river's edge and bent down next to the river, then placed a hand in it, feeling the cold but smooth liquid soothe her rough hands, cleaning it slightly from the dried blood.

"Sounds like you've been through a lot…I know it's impolite but…"

Karin smiled and quickly interjected. "Twenty-one, I was able to hold a sword at fourteen and joined up with my dad at eighteen." She smiled sweetly, taking in Ralof's surprised look. "Don't look so surprised. I've gotten used to people asking me, it's not often you see an accomplished warrior right?"

"Especially an Imperial who manages to look like a house-wife" Ralof added with a small smile.

Karin sent a playful glare his way and stood up, flicking water in his direction. "I'll take that as a compliment Mr Nord."

"And so you should." Ralof smiled and looked up at the sky. The once bright blue sky was starting to fade to a bright orange. Soon it would be night and the animals would be out in force, as well as bandits. "We need to push on, it'll get dark soon."

Karin nodded and jogged on ahead of him, her boots tapping lightly at the stone path routinely when a low growl reached her ears, causing her legs to freeze up and glance to the side.

A pack of grey furred wolves stood proudly on a bunch of rocks next to her, looking down at their fresh prey with teeth barred and Saliva dripped from their wagging tones. They eyed their fresh food as the leader of the pack dipped down to pounce and seconds later pushed off at Karin.

Silver clashed with grey followed by the spurting of red liquid from the wolves neck. Ralof stood in front of her and threw the bloody corpse to the side. He smashed both of his axes together, taunting the animals. "Come on then!"

One of the wolves took the bait, launching itself at Ralof and knocking him off his feet. The two tumbled down the pathway for a moment, locked in a deadly clash of strength.

Karin eyed the other wolf and started to prepare the fire spell in her mind, ready to burn the wolf into submission. Her fist closed when a faint glow started to emit from her palm and she drew her sword, pointing the tip point, first at the wolf.

The wolf looked at her hand for a moment and sensed the danger, pouncing quickly and pinned her to the floor, her sword clattering loudly nearby on the floor.

She let out a loud gasp of surprise and held the wolf back by the throat, feeling its sharp claws tear through the cuirass and pierce her skin. She growled and sneered, her entire strength keeping the wolf at bay. "I've," she growled through gritted teeth, punching the wolf in the neck. "Had," her fist punched the wolf again, its attacks starting to slow down. "Enough!" She forcefully pushed the wolf off her, grabbed her dropped sword, and wasted no time in shoving the sword through its abdomen, twisting it to make sure it was dead. She started to breathe heavily and fell backwards on her backside.

Ralof started to clap, a small smile tugging at the side of his mouth. "You have impressive skills with a blade; you should join us in the fight to free Skyrim." He walked up to her and held out a hand.

Karin smirked and swiped the hand away, pushing herself from the ground and dusting herself off. "I already said I wasn't going to take sides in a war that doesn't concern me. At the moment all I want to do is find my family and that's it."

Ralof walked past her for a moment and stared out into the forest in an almost knowingly way and then turned back to her. "If you're going to stay in Skyrim…you'll have to pick a side sooner or later."

"And I will when the time comes." Karin quickly spoke out, standing next to him with her arms crossed. "But I won't do that until I figure out where my family is and that they are safe."

Ralof nodded and smiled. "It's nice to know you have a powerful resolve, many families aren't as lucky to have someone like you."

Karin only smiled at the Nord while they walked down the pathway. She was happy that Ralof wasn't turning into the Stormcloak recruiter from hell. She had no interest in the conflict between the Empire and Stormcloaks and as far as she was aware, she never would. Her primary priority was finding her family before The Dark Brotherhood does. In the distance, she could see a small village and knew that was their destination.

She would take the time to rest and resupply in the village before moving on to find her family. The longer she took to search for them the bigger the possibility they may never find each other.

* * *

><p><strong>A little bit of back story for you guys who were interesting in Karin's past in Cyrodiil. What I love about Skyrim and Oblivion is the beginning let's you create any reason as to why your in that situation. Were you part of the rebellion? Were you a simple traveller crossing the border into Skyrim? Or, in Karin's case, were you fleeting the brotherhood? <strong>

**Also to those who are wondering, Karin has officially got a "role" in combat. I'm still working out main details and you will find out what that is if you want to influence my team for my writing, A poll shall be up, you viewers can decide Karin's role and influence my entire original character line-up!**

**I'd like to take the time to thank EVERYONE with their alerts and those few who have reviewed. It means a lot to me that you liked the story and want to see more. And more you shall see...once I stop playing around with my main character on Skyrim who'll remain incognito in this story till the time arises ^_^**

**I may get another update before Christmas, if I don't then Merry Christmas to you all!**


	6. Chapter 5: Strategic Meeting

**Chapter 5: **Strategic Meeting

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><p>Karin wasn't sure what to expect when she came to Riverwood. She knew that many towns like Helgen dotted the landscape of Skyrim. She had often heard of Solitude as the main HQ of the Imperial Legion from her father from when he received letters from a friend over there.<p>

Riverwood looked to be a small community of villagers living near Helgen. In the distance you could see the rising tide of black smoke hover over the landscape of the trees with an ominous sign. It had only just occurred to Karin that the dragon they had encountered in Helgen had flown in this direction and she noticed two things after realising that fact. One: the dragon had left the village in one piece. Secondly: no-one was screaming in panic. The latter could simply be explained with lack of awareness (since when did anyone expect to look up and see dragons?) but the former was the more interesting point. The dragon mercilessly slaughtered an entire town along with a brigade of soldiers with no sign of stopping, so why spare the village?

"Karin, are you listening?" Ralof's voice broke through her thoughts, breaking her out of 'detective mode' and back to reality.

Karin shook her head and sheepishly grinned at the Nord. "Sorry. I got distracted." _Note to self…stop thinking so much_.

Ralof looked at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing for a split second before turning back to the pathway into the village. "As I was explaining; my sister Gerdur runs the woodmill here. I'm sure she'll help us and give us some shelter for a while."

Karin nodded and took in the surroundings of the village. A wall of stone and motor flanked each side of the path; on top of the wall was a wooden bridge which hung over the pathway connecting each stone wall to the other. She already knew that it was meant for archers or for people to talk to others if the gates were closed…if the village had any gates. She had also noted the lack of guards about in the village. In the distances she could hear the faint sign of metalwork and a raging furnace, hammer blows upon heated metal rung out again and again in an almost rhythmic way. She could tell that the village was a small one, evident by their wooden housing and straw roofs and lack of stone structures in general. But then again, this was from what she knew back in Cyrodil, where many of the towns and villages had stone buildings as they had proven to be sturdier during the Deadric invasion hundreds of years ago. "And what if she doesn't help us?"

Ralof smiled a little and nodded. "She will. While she doesn't actively support the war she knows why we fight for Skyrim's freedom. She fully supports Ulfric to be the high king." He turned off along a pathway over a small river, passing by an elf that was carrying a loud of firewood. A large bow hung from its bindings on the elf's back, the elf giving the pair the slightest of nods as they passed.

A loud crash won Karin's attention nearby. The sound of some sort of mechanism reached her ears followed by the sound of metal sawing through wood. The large water wheel turned continuously to power whatever machine that the large building contained. Karin assumed it was for cutting up large tree trunks to make it easier to cut into firewood. She filed away a mental note to request a temporary job with whoever owned it after talking to Ralof. She glanced at the large "How can these people live here? It's too open to the elements…and bandits and such could easily attack the village…"

"It's not protected like your Imperial City in Cyrodil that is true but you'll find many small villages like Riverwood like this. The protection of the city falls to the jarls in each of the holds that are spread around Skyrim, such as Windhelm and Solitude. We can talk more later, let's talk to Gerdur first." Ralof walked past the wood-chopping building and around the corner and started to approach a female Nord with dirty blonde hair, hammering at an axe on a table. "Gerdur!" He raised a hand in greeting.

Gerdur stopped her work for a moment and looked up at the two for a moment before putting down her tools and walking up to Ralof, concern etched across her face as she took in the two before her. "Ralof! Mara's Mercy, it's good to see you. But is it safe for you to be here? I heard Ulfric had-"

Ralof was forced to raise his hands in-front of him and let out a warm smile. "Gerdur I'm fine. At least now I am."

Gerdur's face glanced at her brother for a moment, clearly confused and worried at the same time. "Are you hurt? What happened?" She looked at Karin with an equally confused expression. "And who is this? One of your comrades?"

Ralof smiled and looked at Karin with a single eye, "Not a comrade yet, but a friend. I owe her my life in fact." He turned back to his sister, his voice dropping to a serious whisper. "Is there somewhere we can talk? There's no telling when the news from Helgen will reach the Imperials."

"Helgen? Has something happened?" Gerdur stopped her line of questioning for a moment and nodded. "You're right, follow me, " She turned and walked away, leading the two away from the timber mill and shouting at someone called Hod.

Karin wasn't sure on what to make of Gerdur. To her she was a normal citizen thrust into a conflict that she wanted no part in, but would fully support her brother no matter what. Like Ralof, she too, showed a dislike for the Imperial Legion and that much was obvious. If she was indeed willing to help them, would she really help Karin despite her being an Imperial herself? Absentmindedly she walked behind Ralof over to a tree-stump when a young child and his dog ran up to Ralof.

"Uncle Ralof! Can I see your axe? How many Imperials have you killed? Do you really know Ulfric Stormcloak?" The young boy asked excitedly, eyeing the steel axe that rested on Ralof's hip.

Gerdur quickly interjected into the boys questioning "Hush Frodnar, this is no time for your games. Go and watch the south road and come find us if you see any Imperial soldiers coming." Her stern voice reminded Karin of a young mother.

"Aw mama, I want to stay and talk to Uncle Ralof." Frodnar pouted.

Ralof quickly cut into the discussion between mother and child with a beaming smile on his face. He knelt down in-front of Frodnar and placed a hand on his head. "Look at you, almost a grown man! It won't be long before you'll be joining the fight yourself."

Frodnar smirked and made a fist excitedly. "That's right! Don't worry Uncle Ralof, I won't let those soldiers sneak up on you." He then ran off over the bridge and into the village, his dog running behind him.

Karin however, didn't approve and she clearly showed it. "What was that?" she shot the question at Ralof.

"What was what?"

"You know what. Telling a CHILD he would be fighting in a war himself soon?" Karin took a step towards Ralof and pointed a finger at him. "You'd be willing to let a CHILD die for Skyrim before he had a chance to live his life?" She noticed Gerdur about to stop her but held up a hand. "I respect that he is your child Miss uhh…"

"Please, call me Gerdur"

"…Gerdur. But you can't be serious about letting that happen." Karin finished the sentence; embarrassed that she had never really asked on what she should have called her.

Gerdur only smiled. "I can understand what you mean," she looked over to the side and watched as a man wearing a dirtied white top and bright blonde hair walk towards the group. "We can discuss it later if you want."

Karin nodded and let the subject slide. She wasn't going to force the issue in a continent that she knew no-one and would easily get lost in. The least she could do was to simply tell Gerdur her opinion and let her make her own decision.

"Now Ralof, what's going on? You two look pretty well done in." The man refered to her and Karin, stepping on the other side of Ralof and Karin.

Ralof let out a heavy sigh while he sat down on the tree-trunk. "I can't remember when I last slept," for a moment, he compensated on a thought before beginning his tale. "Where to start? Well, the news you heard about Ulfric was true. The Legion ambushed us outside Darkwater crossing, like they knew exactly where we'd be. That was, two days ago now. We stopped in Helgen this morning and I thought it was all over. Had us lined up for the headsman block and ready to start chopping."

Karin shivered at the thought. Her thoughts turning to the big, black dragon with red eyes that had saved her life just seconds before the executioner brought down his axe. That stare felt…unnatural and yet solely focused on her. She had been given plenty of stares before but the one from the dragon…it was almost like the entire attack on Helgen was HER fault. She didn't like where her trail of thought was going so she shoved it at the back of her mind and continued to listen to Ralof's tale.

"They wouldn't dare give Ulfric a fair trial. Treason, for fighting for your own people (against the Empire, Karin mentally said to herself) all of Skyrim would have seen the truth then." Ralof continued, "But then, out of nowhere, a dragon attacked."

Gerdur could scarcely believe what she just heard. "You can't mean a real, life…" She cut off her own sentence, not wanting to believe the truth.

Ralof nodded and sighed again. "I can hardly believe it myself, and I was there. As strange as it sounds, we'd be dead if not for that dragon. In the confusion we managed to slip away." He stared at Gerdur with heavy eyes. "Are we really the first to make it to Riverwood?"

She shook her head with a solemn look on her face. "No one has come from the south road as far as I know."

Ralof nodded to himself with a small smile. "Good. Maybe we can lay up for a while. I hate to put your family in danger but…"

Gerdur smiled and held up a hand. "Nonsense, you and your friend are welcome to stay here as long as you need to and let me worry about the Imperials."

"My name is Karin Silvers, just so everyone is clear that I have a name." Karin spoke out annoyingly at being referred to as a 'friend' and 'her'.

Gerdur smiled and pulled out a small silver key and placed it in Karin's hand. "Here's a key to the house and stay as long as you like. If there is anything you need just let me know."

Karin smiled and curled her hand around the key. "Thank you but are you really sure to just to give away a key to your home to a stranger so easily?"

Gerdur nodded. "You helped my brother escape from Helgen and saved his life. I owe you for that but there is something I would like you to do, for Riverwoods sake. The Jarl needs to know if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenceless as you could have seen on the way in. We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever troops he can. If you can do that for me. I'll be in your debt. "

Karin nodded. "Sure thing."

Ralof smiled and stood up with a loud grunt. "Thank you Sister, I knew I could count on you."

Gerdur smiled. "I'm ought to get back to work before I'm missed but, did anyone else escape? Did Ulfric…"

Ralof let out a loud 'Ha' "Don't worry. I'm sure he made it out. It'll take more than a dragon to stop Ulfric Stormcloak."

Karin smiled at Ralof for a moment and then let out a loud yawn. "I could do with some rest before I head out." Her bones felt like lead and all she wanted was to feel the soft embrace of a warm bed.

"I'll show you into the house and show you where everything is." The man offered.

Gerdur smirked. "You mean help them drink up out mead, Hod?" She then turned to Ralof and kissed him on the forehead gently. "Good luck Brother, I'll see you later." Gerdur then walked off in the direction of the Timber Mill to get back to work.

The man called Hod smiled and walked over the bridge that Frodnar ran over moments earlier. "Come on, the house is this way."

**VVVV**

Karin was grateful to remove the armour and weapons and put on a similar dress that Gerdur wore. She said it would be fine to take one for the time being while she rested up and figured out her next move. Chances are she would head to Whiterun to inform the Jarl about the dragon issue at Gerdur's request. After all, who was she to not pay back her hospitality? For now Karin simply sat on the bed that Hod let her use for the night. A candle burned brightly on the bedside table while she flicked through the pages of the book she picked up from the Helgen prison earlier. It had confirmed her suspicions however that it was indeed a spell book and detailed how to use the spell 'Sparks'. She would have to give it a try at some point. With a sigh she placed a small piece of paper to mark where she left off and closed the book in one hand. She should be sleeping, gathering her strength to head to Whiterun but she didn't feel tired at all. Maybe the excitement gave her so much energy that she hadn't used it all up.

She could hear footsteps nearby and saw Ralof peak his head around the corner, a torch in hand. "Can't get any sleep?"

Karin shook her head and smiled a little. "Nope. Not a single wink of sleep. I should probably try though, heading to Whiterun and all."

Ralof nodded and sat at the end of the bed. "You should. Whiterun isn't far from here but what with everything happening lately you must be exhausted."

"Only a little bit. Skyrim is certainly different from Cyrodil I give you that." She placed the spell book back in her backpack that rested on a wall near the bed and lay on the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling. "I hope my brother is alright…"

"You talk about your brother a lot…fond of him?" Ralof enquired.

Karin smiled a little and giggled. "You could say that. Flynn and I were two opposite ends of the combat spectrum. He preferred his archery while I preferred my magic. Father would often scold him if he didn't practise with his sword once in a while though." She sighed and placed a hand where her locket resided. "I just want to know they're safe…" She looked over to Ralof for a moment and sat up. "You said the place we were captured was Darkwater Crossing right? If you were a mother and son fleeing, what would be the first town you encounter?"

Ralof thought about it for a moment. "In theory they could have doubled back and found themselves in Riften or if they headed north, they would have stumbled upon Windhelm." He stood up for a moment and left, leaving Karin on her own. He returned shortly afterwards with a large map of the province and placed it out on the edge of the bed. "Riften is…here and Windhelm here," He pointed to each hold as he spoke and then pointed out Riverwood and Whiterun. "If you were planning to go to either to find your family the safest bet is to head to Whiterun-" His finger trailed along one of the thick black lines from Riverwood. "-and then head north, heading east when you come to the fork and into Whiterun."

Karin listened intently to the Nord. His experience and knowledge of the province certainly came in handy. "Alright…I'll head to Whiterun tomorrow and let the Jarl know of the dragon problem, rest up there for a while and then head to Windhelm. If they aren't there then I can head to Riften." It was a sound enough plan. "Thank you Ralof."

Ralof smiled and folded up the map and placed it in her bag. "It's no problem. Keep the map just in-case you need it. I'll be heading to Windhelm myself in a few days, so maybe I'll see you there."

Karin smiled and leaned over to Ralof, gently pecking his rough cheek and leaned back. "Again, thank you for everything."

"Have a nice night Karin." Ralof stood up and left her to her own thoughts.

She now had a plan of action to find her family and help out Gerdur for her kindness. She would head to Whiterun and inform the Jarl that Riverwood needed protecting. Rest up and see if she can't earn some coin while in Whiterun too before heading over to Windhelm and checking if her family was still there. All of the planning and excitement of finally having a direction to move in suddenly wore her out. She let the comfortable bed claim her body and soon she found herself sound asleep.

And yet even the best planned plans can go awry. For the Dragonborn Karin, for she was still yet to discover her true purpose in Skyrim, the journey was just beginning.

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><p>Note to self...NEVER transfer from one format to the other EVER again...<br>You wouldn't believe the hassle I had trying to get everything the same as my previous saves. And yet the mods are so awesome on the PC that I immediately downloaded Midas Magic.  
>So hopefully this will be fairly updated. But a big note: this is going to follow very closely to the realm of an Original Story while following the main story line as best I can.<br>With that...I'm going to bed...trying to self edit and read through it all is exhausting...


	7. Chapter 6: Heading to Whiterun

**Chapter 6**: Heading to Whiterun.

Morning for Karin came all too quickly for her liking. The morning sun burned through the window and into her eyes. She let out a loud groan and curled up tighter in her covers only to fall of the side of the bed to a rude awakening. With her vision groggy and her arm (from when she landed) throbbing with pain, she forced herself to wake up and yawned. "Morning already?" After some time convincing her body that it was time to get moving, she stood up and stretched her arms high above her head, a satisfied moan humming in her mouth before releasing her arms lazily back to her sides.

"It's about time you got up." Gerdur said with a smile. She stood nearby with her bag on top of some neatly folded robes. "How are you feeling?"

Karin smiled and started doing her morning stretches. One arm hooked around the other and then repeated with the other arm. She hated doing the stretches but if she didn't then she would feel jelly like for most of the day. "Shouldn't you be working at the mill right about now?" She looked at the bag for a moment. "And why are you holding my bag?"

Gerdur nodded. "I should. I took the liberty of giving you a few supplies for your Journey. Ralof explained to me what happened with you and your family. I hope you find them." She placed the items on the end of Karin's bed.

Karin nodded and quickly checked the bag. All the items were neatly placed in such a way that it would have taken Karin at least a few minutes doing. Her books were at one side, food and potions on another with other various bits of kit (such as her lockpicks) on top. She moved the bag off from the robes and opened them up. They reminded her of the mages robes that the mages wore back in the tower in Cyrodil; yet these ones simply looked better. In the light they looked like a pale green colour with the cloth around the shoulders a dirty cream colour. A sash went around the right elbow, held together by a clip that was identical to the pale green of the robes. The hood was also a dirty cream colour. In all, the robes looked less like a dress and just…better. "Where did you find these?" She recalled seeing the same robes in the dungeon back in Helgen, but she didn't have time to grab them.

Gerdur smiled and pointed at them. "Ralof spotted them in the general store here and bought them for you. He said you had an amazing ability as a mage. It might be worth investing your time in the mages collage up in Winterhold when you've found your family."

Karin nodded and removed her normal dress and shrugged on the robes. If anything they almost felt like a perfect fit. Any parts that felt loose could easily be adjusted given the time. "They even feel better than our Cyrodillian robes too…" Karin moaned. Why was everything in Skyrim better? Except the war and dragons of course, but it seemed like Skyrim was screaming in her face 'we are better than Cyrodil!'

Gerdur giggled a little. "At any rate Ralof also said not to say you're affiliated with either Legion or Stormcloaks until you are ready to pick a side which was why he spent the money on the robes."

Karin looked at Gerdur, shocked that Ralof had spent money on her. She felt guilty that she was taking advantage of the hospitality. "It feels like I got no choice…I can't join the Legion when you've been so kind to me."

Gerdur smiled and picked up her bag and handed it over to her. "Nonsense. You're a native to the province after all. While I want to see Skyrim free for Ulfric, you should pick a side that suits you and your ideals."

"And here I thought you'd be a Stormcloak recruiter from hell." Karin smiled and slipped the bag's strap over her shoulder. She then took her sword and attached the scabbard to the belt. Even if she was going to be focusing on her mage abilities, she would feel better with a trusty sword by her side. "So Whiterun is North from here right?"

Gerdur nodded. "It is. Just follow the road north and you'll see it in the distance." She opened the door, the sun's bright rays entering the house and making most of the metal and glass glitter and gleam. It hurt Karin's eyes just to look at the objects.

Karin moved outside into the fresh air and looked around. A few kids ran around with a dog, giggling and laughing merrily around the pathways. The adults went about whatever business they had to attend to for their daily activity, unaware of the danger of dragons or wars. "It feels weird…I told my mother I would never become an adventurer. I had no desire to run out into the wilds and get mauled by a bear or worse a dragon."

Gerdur smiled and leaned on the doorframe, watching Frodnar run around with his dog. "Sometimes The Divines shape our paths in the opposite direction that we want."

Karin followed her gaze. "Just like they'll create the path for Frodnar to go to war?" She turned and faced Gerdur, a serious look in her eyes. "I'm not here telling you not to send him. Nor am I going to tell you that The Divines are just…wrong, but don't place your faith fully in them. YOU'RE the one with the power to tell him to join the rebellion or not. You're his mother after all."

Gerdur smiled. "Thank you Karin. You should get going, the longer we waste having idle gossip, the greater chance we'll be attacked by dragons. Have a safe journey Karin and may The Eight Divines watch over you."

Karin smiled and walked from the house, waving at Gerdur before she closed the door. She felt guilty about the conversation just now though. She didn't mean to give Gerdur a lecture about the issue but she didn't like the idea that she was going to actively support a child going to war. For now she had to put the thought to one side as today marked the start of her journey in Skyrim. She was as prepared as she would ever be. She started to make her way towards the northern entrance past the inn. A familiar shout caused her to stop and turn around

"Karin!" Ralof ran up to her. "Leaving already?"

Karin nodded and adjusted the bag strap to make it more comfortable, "Yeah. The sooner I ask the Jarl for some help the sooner I can look for my family." She smiled and then bowed her head. "I was hoping to get a chance to thank you for the robes. You didn't have to spend the gold on me though."

Ralof smiled and shook his head, "Nonsense. A proper mage should have the proper attire ya know."

Karin raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, "one: what makes you think I'm a proper mage? And secondly: I could easily run around in heavier armour and still throw around fireballs."

Ralof simply shrugged. "To the first I don't know. You just give off that vibe of a magic user more so than a warrior as to the other question I heard that magic users prefer robes…something about magicka or something along those lines."

Karin smiled. "At least someone knows a little bit about magic. Back in Cyrodil it's believed that the more layers of clothes or the heavier armours interrupt out natural ability to take in Magicka from the air same when it comes to the spells effectiveness." She turned around and walked up the path, Ralof walking beside her. "Going to walk me out of the town?"

Ralof nodded. "I have nothing better to do. Windhelm is a long walk so I want to wait for a moment and make sure Gerdur and Riverwood are fine before I leave." He dug into his pocket and took out a small leather pouch, the pouch jingling a little. "It's not much, but take this. It should be enough to get you into an inn for a night or two."

Karin looked at the pouch and shook her head. "N-No I can't possibly accept that," She felt the heat rise in her cheeks a little and silently thanked Gerdur for the hood that covered most of her head (especially her now red cheeks) "You need it more than I do."

Ralof shook his head and forcefully placed it in her hand. "I'll be fine. I can make some money by working in Riverwood for a while before I go. Besides, you're not native to Skyrim. How are you going to get the gold to get supplies if you need to?"

Karin let out a sigh and pocketed the pouch. "I'll pay you back someday," She gave him a stern look and pointed a finger. "That does NOT mean I am joining the Stormcloaks. If I am going to be forced to pick a side then at least trust me to do the right thing and get both sides of the story. Only then will I join one side or the other." They soon came part way over the bridge, the river below them surging rapidly downstream. "I'll be able to find my way from here…thanks for everything Ralof."

Ralof smiled. "Take care of yourself Karin. May we meet again soon." He then turned and left her on the bridge

Karin smiled her hand waving at him close to her chest before she held the area where her Locket was. She then turned off down the bridge and along the path to Whiterun. The wildlife was something she was interested in. As she traversed down the stone path she watched as the birds flew around above her, singing a merry birdsong. A rabbit came out from its hole and hopped past her, oblivious to the large human that it went past. She watched as a deer bounded across the grass and across the river, fighting against the current for a moment before reaching the other day. Compared to Cyrodil this place felt more animated…walking through the forests back there it felt like the wildlife was missing. It could have been just her but maybe adventuring had its benefits.

A chilling howl to her left shot that feeling to dust as she looked around. A pair of wolves looking at her with hungry eyes and bore their sharp teeth at her. The wolves were fairly skinny so Karin assumed they have had trouble catching their own prey. One of them ran forward towards her.

Karin knew what to do but decided to try something different. She felt the magical energies within her stir as she mentally summoned up both the energies of fire and lightning. Her hands surged with the magic's in her respective hands. Her right hand tingled with the lightning energy in a funny way that tickled her palms. She drew back her left hand and threw it forward, the flames extending forward at the wolf. She ducked under the burning corpse that flew over her and pivoted mid-crouch before flinging the electrical energy at the second wolf.

The magic hit the wolf face first, sparks of energy emitted from the wolf in small strands of lightning as the electric surged through its system, effectively killing off its nervous system. It shuddered on the spot as its nervous system was attacked before falling limp on its side. It shook for a moment while the lightning caused it to shake violently like it was in a fit before finally laying still.

For Karinwhat was meant to be a simple spell combination wore her out. Sweat started to form on her forehead but despite the fatigue something felt different about using the magic like that…it almost felt like it was natural to her. She never really had focused on her magical abilities to a degree. Sure she knew a healing spell and a handful of other spells but her ability was more or less in the steel of her blade…or so she thought…

"Ah Karin your complicating things!" She muttered loudly to herself and shook her head. Now she was talking to herself. Five minutes into the adventure and she was already going mad. She wondered how she was going to survive the next few days in relative isolation.

**VVVV**

Thankfully it seemed that Whiterun was closer than she thought. Sometime after the wolf encounter and following the path she could just faintly see the hold in the distance. The hold definitely reminded her of the Imperial City with its large stone walls. Excitement coursed through her body as she broke into a small jog, down the pathway and past a building. The smell of a meadery, the one smell that Karin could tolerate if it was concentrated enough. Years of helping her mother in a bar would do that to you.

The ground shook for a moment, causing Karin to stop on the spot and look around. Did a dragon land nearby? Would she not even reach Whiterun before having to fight for her life a second time? A loud grunt sounded in-front of her. Her curiosity won out as she went to investigate and watched in awe as she saw a large humanoid figure with a large wooden club fight against three smaller people. Karin couldn't believe it, but she was looking at a Giant. The three people looked like experienced fighters. Two of them were up-close, wearing full steel armour (apart from the helmet) and wielded a 2 handed sword and a sword-shield combination. A third was further back, drawing an arrow from her quiver and placing it expertly on her bow before letting the string loose. The arrow impacted the Giant's neck area, but it didn't seem to be fazed by the arrow. Karin guessed that with its massive form, the arrow was nothing more than a pinprick.

Karin smiled and hopped over the stone wall that separated the path from the fields. Being careful as to not step on the farm she had just discovered, she let the magical energies build up once more, this time focusing solely on the lightning magic before letting it loose in small bursts. With her earlier foray into the magical energies, she felt that she should start experimenting with the spells, just in-case she does decide to drop the blade for the magic.

Each burst impacted the Giant in different places and did nothing to it. Its thick skin protected it from the magic but when a bolt of lightning impacted a bleeding wound, it shook violently and fell onto its knees.

The man with the 2 handed sword quickly seized the opportunity and ran at it, using the running to fuel the momentum in his swing and chopped through the Giant's head with a clean cut. The head sored in the sky for a moment before dropping down on top of a cabbage patch.

Karin found the whole thing amusing. Who else wanted to harvest a giants head from their cabbage patch? She smiled sweetly as the two men looked at her before inspecting the corpse while the third (which Karin saw to be a woman) walked up to her.

The woman had light redish-brown har and what Karin guessed to be light grey eyes. She had two steel pauldrons on her shoulders ontop of some fur like material that kept it away from the skin. She wore a leather top that showed a line of skin vertically down the middle of her torso with the neck area being connected by three fastenings. Each fastening looked to be metal with a number of green jewels embedded into the metal. The leather continued down to in-between her legs when it stopped (fortunately it covered up her modesty) with a patch of chainmail along the outer part of her leg. On her wrists were steel gauntlets on the outside edge with leather along the inside of the arm, her elbows were covered in a green material. She held a bow in one hand and a quiver full of arrows on her back. She smiled and bowed her head. "I'm Aela. You handled yourself pretty well. You'd make for a decent shield-sister."

Karin smiled back and nodded. She wasn't sure on what to make on Aela. Then again, it's not every day you come across a group of people taking on a giant in someone's farm. "Shield-sister? What's that?"

Aela looked at Karin closely and then gave of an impressed smirk. "An outsider eh? Never heard of the Companions eh?"

Karin shook her head, "Can't say I have. I've only arrived in Skyrim a couple of days ago."

Aela smiled and indicated to her two companions. "We are an order of warriors. We are brothers and sisters in honour and we also show up to solve problems…if the coin is good enough."

Karin let out an 'ah' and smiled. "Sounds like the Skyrim's equivalent of the fighter's guild back in Cyrodil, except with more…'honour' from what I can tell. Not for me though."

Aela shrugged. "That's fair enough. If you wanted to join you should go to Jorrvaskr and talk to Kodlak. Either way good luck in your travels," Aela bowed.

Karin smiled and bowed as well. It would have been disrespectful not to bow. "And good luck in your future uh…adventures." She then turned and left the three to whatever they were doing. (Looting the Giant by the looks of it) and continued onto Whiterun. She watched as the farmers around the area went about on their daily duties on sorting out their crops, either harvesting them and placing them in a basket or placing down more seeds to grow more produce. She crossed a smaller bridge over a stream and instantly the stench of stables hit her full on. She reached a little and held her breath while quickening her pace. She hated horses with a passion. Not because of the smell the stables would produce if things were left alone, but more or less due to obedience issues. She had once broken an arm because the stupid animal refused to stop despite numerous attempts to tell the beast to stop. Luckily a mage was on hand to provide the necessary healing magic.

She finally reached the hold and let out a loud breath. Her 'holding her breath' talent needed some work. She marvelled at the stone work on the walls as she moved up the pathway and noted that a guard was stationed in a wooden outpost bow with a bow in hand. She swore that through his helmet he was looking at her. She ignored the feeling and walked up and around the pathway, walking over a wooden drawbridge and approached the large wooden gates of Whiterun.

One of the guards noticed her and walked up to her, stopping her with an open palmed hand. "Halt! Whiterun is closed off with the Dragons flying about. Official business only."

Karin looked at him for a moment and thought about her next move. She would have to speak carefully, for the wrong word could mean denied entry to the hold. "Riverwood calls for aid from its Jarl. It is defenceless against the dragons."

The Guard looked at her through his helmet for a moment. It unnerved her that she couldn't see the Guards face through the helmet but soon the guard spoke up. "Riverwood is in danger too? You better go on in. You can find the Jarl up in Dragonsreach up the hill."

Karin nodded her thanks and walked past him. The other guard who was guarding the other side of the large wooden gates opened it up for her. She gave her thanks and walked on through into the town of Whitetun.

* * *

><p>I hate quick saving with a passion...I switch between Flynn and Karin when I need some references for my writing or actually need to make progress on Karin's story. But when using Karin I quick-saved over Flynn...who was level 30 with a kick ass skill with a bow. Now I get the joy of starting again...oh boy!<br>Enjoy the chapter Guys...7 will be up...whenever XD


	8. Chapter 7: Skyrim or Family?

**Chapter 7: Family or Skyrim?**

The second Karin had walked through the large wooden gates that lead to Whiterun, she could tell that the town was different to Riverwood. It was more developed than Riverwood by leaps and bounds. The large stone wall stretched out either side of the gates as far as the eye could see; she assumed the wall ran around the outskirts of Whiterun. The first building she saw was a mixture of wood and stone, the roaring fires indicated it was a blacksmiths forge. She would have to visit the forge and see if she couldn't buy a new sword. Two people were standing in-front of it. One was a very muscular Nord, wearing the armour of the Legion proudly. The other, a woman with brown coloured Skin and she wore dirty overalls, a belt of tools hung around her waist and brown soot covered her clothes.

"We'll pay whatever it takes, but we must have more swords for the Legion." The muscular man told the woman, crossing his arms in-front of his chest. Karin wasn't sure if the man was attempting to make himself look intimidating, but then again, most Nords she has seen look pretty terrifying with a weapon in hand.

The woman glared venom at the man and also crossed her arms. "I simply can't fill out an order that big on my own so quickly. Why don't you swallow that stubborn pride of yours and ask Eorland Grey-Mane for help?"

The man smiled and laughed. "Ha! I'd sooner bend my knee to Ulfric Stormcloak. Besides, Grey-Mane would never make steel for the Legion."

The woman sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Fine, I'll take the job but don't expect any miracles." The two figures parted way, with the woman moving towards the forge and started to prepare all the materials and items needed to create whatever the order was.

Karin pushed on further into the heart of Whiterun. She may talk to the woman at the blacksmith to see if she needed any help. If anything it would provide her with an opportunity to get some more money and possibly a free sword out of it if she was lucky. She kept to the stone pathway, walking past small children that were running around, a girl trying to catch a boy. Guards patrolled the town, despite wearing the heavy steel armour, the white uniform and the crest on their shield clearly identified it to be a Whiterun guard. She nodded respectfully when one of the Guards nodded in her direction and found herself in the main market area. Here various people were selling fresh fruit or vegetables, meat and jewellery from the various stands, the wide array of smells assaulted her senses and immediately reminded her of home back in the Imperial City.

Remembering the advice from Guardsmen at the gate, she turned to continue up along the hill. Stone continued to serve as her guide, flanked on either side by a shallow river. She continued on, ignoring the various shouts of the merchants behind her to buy their wares at low prices and came to a calmer area of Whiterun, In-front of her, surrounded by a giant wooden structure as a huge tree. The tree was mostly devoid of leaves, only a few remained on the top most branches. Just from looking at the tree, Karin could sense a history with it. She crossed over one of the bridges and around the tree, looking around for her next destination. She stopped on the other side and looked up in awe at the hold. Nothing in Cyrodil was quite as grand as the structure; build on top of a stone foundation with the wood giving the structure detail. She was sure that this was Dragonsreach, where she would find the Jarl. She wanted nothing more than to get a move on so she can start her journey to Windhelm so she continued on up the stone steps, half listening to the a ranting man near a fountain. Part the way up she looked at the moat that surrounded the keep from the wooden bridge that connected the stone pathway to the hold. With the determination she pushed the large wooden doors and walked inside onto the hold.

**VVVV**

The inside of Dragonsreach was thankfully warmer than the harsh cold that Skyrim seemed to have. It was something that Karin was going to have to figure out how to combat while journeying, possibly by having some more layers of clothing. The mage robes were nice and comfortable but with them and some undergarments, it wasn't exactly the warmest selection of clothing. The door opened up to a large, but extraordinary hall. Even the Palace back in Cyrodil didn't compare to the hold. A few figures walked about on their daily duties. A woman went about with a broom, sweeping off any dust on the clean floor, another was busy sorting out the large table that sat in the middle of the hall with food fit for a king. A handful of guards also stood at attention around the edges of the hall, no doubt to deter any assassinations (if any happened is another question). Two large tables stretched out in the main hall in-front of her with a roaring fire inbetween the two. She shyly walked past the fire and tables and watched as a dark elf clad in leather armour and fiery red hair walked up to her with a glare that could kill.

"You there. The Jarl is not expecting any visitors today, explain yourself." The Elf asked quickly and sternly, her hand drew her sword as if she was expecting the worst to happen.

Karin eyed the sword wearily and in the back of her mind prepared to cast the shock spell at a moment's notice. "Riverwood requests the Jarl's aid to protect themselves against the dragons."

The Dark Elf looked at Karin for a moment, her eyes staring at her with her eyes that seemed to want to find out if she was telling to truth or not. After what seemed like a lifetime of staring she finally put the sword away. "I was sent by Riverwood to ask for the Jarls aid." She thought about mentioning the dragon attack in Helgen but she wouldn't know what to mention and what she shouldn't mention. For now, until she found that that she wasn't going to be brutally murdered for being involved in the events at Helgen, she'd remain quiet about it.

"As Housecarl it is my job to deal with any dangers that threaten this oppose the Jarl. And you'll tell me why you are here" The Elf responded.

Karin growled and could feel the annoyance getting to her. She had to talk to the Jarl about the protection so she could be on her way. "A dragon has attached Helgen and flew right over Riverwood! And you're standing between me and the only one who could offer some sort of protection for Riverwood."

"You know about the dragon attack? The Jarl will want to speak to you personally. You may approach, but I'm watching you." The Elf threatened and returned her sword to its sheath before returning to her post next to the Jarl's throne.

Karin shuddered and dismissed the magical thought of the shock spell and started to approach the Jarl. She took in the slouched position in which the Jarl was sitting in, almost like he was bored with his job. The smooth blond hair was brushed neatly as was his beard that came down to his breast area. He wore fancy robes in an array of red, yellow and blue colours. Fur covered his shoulders that completed his look. Her gaze turned to the gentleman next to him who had thinning, black hair around the sides of his head, the topmost part of his head was completely bald.

"So you were at Helgen? You saw the dragon with your own eyes?" The Jarl asked.

Karin could tell why this man was made the Jarl of Whiterun. His voice carried the authority that only someone like the Jarl could have. The air around him simply radiated a powerful man in a powerful position. "Yes. The dragon decimated Helgan and its citizens and last that me and a…friend saw, it was heading in this direction."

"By Ysmir, Irileth was right!" The Jarl sat forward in alarm and interlocked his fingers and balanced his chin on the interlocked fingers, thinking deeply on his next move. He then turned towards the bald man next to him. "What now Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls…against a dragon?" The question was a rhetorical one; of course no-one would dare test stone against the might of a dragon.

The Dark Elf (Karin assumed that she was Irileth) stepped forward. "My Jarl, we should send a detachment of troops to Riverwood at once, it's in the most immediate danger."

Proventus shook his head. "We can not do that! The Jarl of Falkreath will see that at a provocation that we are preparing to join Ulfric's side!"

"Enough!" The Jarl said sternly to his advisor. "I will not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people." He then turned to Irileth. "Send a detachment of troops to Riverwood immediately."

Irileth nodded and placed a fist over her chest. "Yes, my Jarl." She then turned and left the group alone, shooting a last look at Karin before leaving.

The Jarl smiled and sat back, giving Karin a nod. "Well done. You sought my out on your own initiative. You have done the people of Whiterun a service. Please, take this as a token of my appreciation." The Jarl said and nodded towards a nearby guard.

The Guard walked up to Karin and dropped a bag of coins in her open hand before returning to his post.

Karin tested the weight of the back and then opened it up. She was surprised to see so many gold coins in the bag. "I-…thank you Jarl." She politely curtseyed as her father had instructed her to do when addressing powerful figureheads. "If you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."

The Jarl held up a hand. "Hold on, there may be something else you can do for me. You look like someone who has seen plenty of combat; we could use someone of your…particular talents. Let us go see my court wizard, Farenger. He has been looking into this matter relating to dragons and…the rumours of dragons." He stood up and without seeing if Karin would accept, started to make his way to a side room nearby.

Karin didn't know what to do. On one hand she couldn't just up and leave if she was needed but at the same time, the more time she spent doing these random tasks, the greater the chance she wouldn't see them again. _I'll follow along for now; I'll politely decline after the Jarl has finished explaining _she decided. She followed quietly behind Jarl. They walked into a small room that was filled with various items. Books were at one end of the room and on the table with a large map of Skyrim nearby. An enchantment station was behind a man clad in blue robes and hood.

The Jarl approached the man on the other side of the table he was working on. "Farenger, I think I have found someone who can help you with your dragon project. Fill her in on the details.

The Wizard looked up at her for a moment and smiled. "So the Jarl says you can be of use to me? He must be referring to my research about the Dragons." He thought for a moment and nodded to himself. "Yes, I need you to fetch something for me."

Karin looked at him for a moment. _Now I'm simply a fetcher? _"Alright, but how does this relate to the coming of the dragons?"

"Ah, not a mere brute." Farenger looked at her closely and nodded again to himself. "You look like a mage and a thinker. Well you see when I got whispers of these rumours about dragons returning. I started to look into it. One mark of a fool is to dismiss anything as being just a legend or superstition. I learned of a stone tablet that could help me in my research and that tablet is located within Bleak Falls Barrow. "

Karin nodded and looked over to the Jarl. "With all due respect Jarl, I can't keep running around Skyrim."

The Jarl turned to her for a moment, curious as to her response "and why is that?"

"You have no doubt noticed that I am not a native to this region. If I were to run around doing errands for everyone I'd get lost and no doubt stabbed, shot, mauled and worst, burnt to a cinder." She started to explain before trailing off and facing the Jarl with a serious face. "And my family…I have to find them."

"You lost your family within Skyrim?" The Jarl asked, interested by the woman in-front of him.

Karin didn't want to explain what had happened again to the Jarl, he was a complete stranger to her and yet she felt like she could trust the Jarl. He may be able to help her as well. "We entered Skyrim at a bad time…the Legion were ambushing the Stormcloaks and at the same time we were crossing the border from Cyrodiil to escape the Dark Brotherhood. We were then taken to Helgen and I was to be executed with the Rebels."

"And your family?"

"My mother and Brother escaped during the commotion that the Stormcloaks created. I was just caught in the crossfire." Karin explained. "I'd love to help, but I need to find my family."

The Jarl put his hand to his chin, deep in thought for a moment.

Karin desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. She just wanted to keep going and head over to her other destination as soon as possible.

"I can understand and relate. The bond of a family is one that should not be discarded so easily. If you do this for me I'll provide you with a horse so you can get to where you need to quickly." The Jarl offered. "Farenger will also provide you with a number of spell books for you as well if you do this for me."

Karin looked over to him and then felt her hand clutch around the bag of coins that the Jarl had given to her earlier. The coins would definitely pay for a night at the inn and some other things that she would need and the offer to strengthen her magical ability was something she couldn't pass up but at the same time she couldn't just run into this blindly. "I'll…see what I can do but I'm not promising anything." She turned to the Jarl. "I'll stay at the Inn tonight and think it over. If I'll do it, I'll leave first thing when I'm ready, if not, I'll inform you."

The Jarl gave her a disappointed look but nodded. "I understand. This is no easy quest that I am asking you to undertake but if you did this for me. Whiterun would be in your debt."

Karin nodded and bowed her head. "If you'll excuse me" She curtsied like her mother had told her to do and backed away slowly.

**VVVV**

Karin sighed awhile staring up at the star-lit sky. She was sitting on the stone wall of the well outside The Bannered Mare. She couldn't sleep no matter how much she tried to get comfortable in the warm, featherlike bed in the Inn. So she took residence in the white glow of the stars above her. She could spend the night looking at the water features higher part of the district but for now…not even the water could calm her nerves.

She was worried…about everything; the state of Skyrim, her family…her own welfare everything just felt totally screwed up. Things were starting to get complicated and she hadn't even spent a week within Skyrim. She had no idea what is going on anymore and just wanted for things to go back to the way they were before she had to escape Cyrodiil.

"What should I do Dad?" She asked absentmindedly. She never believed in the so called Divines that supposedly governed her life. But she so desperately wanted to know that her father was watching over her and that he would be throwing signs of what she should do when she needed it. The whole thing sounded ridiculous in her mind but right now she really needed a sign. She stood up with a sigh and stretched out and something felt…wrong.

The surrounding area sounded…wrong. She noted an absence of the guards around the Inn. She stood on the spot for a moment listening out for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

A footstep behind her told her everything she needed to know. She charged up the magic in her palm and sent the feeling into her hand. She spun around just in time to see the flash of steel in a gloves hand before a bolt of lightning shot from her hand and surged into the figure's stomach.

The figure took a few steps back, dazed from the blow but stood upright and shook the attack off. The figure wore a black hood with black leather armour with parts of the shoulders and trimmings a blood red, a pair of vicious looking daggers were in the figures hands.

Karin glanced at the figure and sized him up instantly. The leather armour would render any of her lightning attacks useless and she had left her sword back in the Inn. Apart from her magic she was unarmed. "Not a very good assassin if I heard you while you approached." She taunted. She had to figure out a plan and the only plan she had was to take those daggers and use them against the assassin.

"I need not say anything to you. Your life is forfeit." The Assassin grumbled. Walking to the side with the daggers gripped tightly in his hands.

"Maybe, but if my life is forfeit you wouldn't mind sating my curiosity? You know last request and such." Karin asked. She glanced over to the side. Why were their no guards about? Could the guards in Skyrim really be that corrupt as the Imperial Legion in Cyrodiil?

"It wasn't in my nature to deny a beautiful specimen a request." The assassin sneered, a toothy grin appearing from the blackness of the hood. "You got three questions."

Karin let out a mental sigh and wracked her brains. Sometimes being a woman had its advantages. She knew that that the assassin was from The Dark Brotherhood the uniform was a dead giveaway. "You picked up the contract from Cyrodiil right? How is that possible with the Brotherhood in shambles?"

"You didn't know? You and your family are a high priority target for the Brotherhood. No-one said why but you had to be taken out. I follow orders." He said plainly, taking a step towards her.

Karin took a step back. "Okay…Well…why not walk away? You know, live another day, spend time with your family?" She somehow doubted that it would work but she had to at least try. "If I'm high priority, it's obvious that I have combat talent…you may not have any…conscripted into the Brotherhood yes? Maybe to test out my abilities so the Skyrim chapter can get a gauge on my abilities." She held up her hands. "I have no interest in fighting or killing you." She glanced at the assassins' posture. It was inexperienced; the assassin was slouching in a way that she could easily break his back if she acted quickly enough. If she had her weapon on her she found five ways to disarm him and a further four to kill him. "So why not go home? Spend time with the family, your sent as bait for the real league to kill me."

"Ah but if I kill you…my rank within the Brotherhood would go up." The Assassin sneered and flipped a dagger in his right hand into a reverse grip. "I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams."

"Or you could be dead…leaving behind everything for the sake of petty riches." Karin quickly countered and glared at her Assassin. "Are you going to risk it all? Or be the smart one and walk away?" She stopped moving back when her heel touched the stone wall of the well.

"I…" The Assassin started and then lowered his weapons, staring at the floor. "I have no choice. They'll kill me if I don't kill you…"

"Then escape the brotherhood. They don't have enough power to complete contracts and track down rouge assassins. Just leave your weapons on the floor and…go." Karin said sincerely and lowered her guard for a moment. She didn't think that the guy was a threat anymore; she didn't feel any sort of hostility towards her at any rate. "Go in peace and I will not follow."

The Assassin looked at her for a moment before placing down his blades on the floor and sprinted past her. The footstep slammed against the stone path and soon out of earshot.

Karin let out a sigh and approached the two blades that he had put down. Both were of a master blacksmiths make and she couldn't place the material used. She picked them both up and gripped them tightly. They would come in handy if she needed a surprise weapon. The other she could sell for some extra gold. She let out a loud yawn and sighed as fatigue started to make her body feel heavy. Deciding she should try to get some sleep she slowly trudged her way back into the Inn for some well-deserved rest.

* * *

><p><strong>Firstly...thanks for sticking around this long!<br>****Secondly, I may make a bit more emphasis on a original story line and less on the main plot line for reasons that I find VERY hard to keep up on the writing. It's something I'm debating.**

Lastly If you are reading this If you, as my readers would sate my curiosity and tell me why you like this so much? I have no idea myself but since the popularity of this...it's been on my mind...

**Chapter 8 will have some more fun! ...Promise!**


	9. Chapter 8: Journey to the Barrows

**Chapter 8:** Journey to the Barrows

The morning Sun slowly crept through the crack of the curtains that adorned Karin's room. The light slid through the tiny gap and assaulted her closed eyes. She groaned in annoyance and curled up deeper in the bed, wanting to continue her peaceful sleep. The light refused to let her lie however as the sun seemingly started to shine brighter.

Annoyed, she finally admitted defeat and slowly opened her hazel eyes. For a moment longer, she remained still in the bed, wanting to savour the feeling of the soft mattress that was supporting her and the feather like quilt that wrapped her body warmly. With another annoyed groan she forced herself to sit upright, making sure that the quilt was covering her body. The previous night all she could hear were Nords and men singing merry songs while she waked in and out after the late night event she had endured. The last thing she wanted was to give them a peep show. Taking the cover with her she made sure that no-one was at the door before dropping the quilt and sorting out her robes. She dropped them over her undergarments and sorted out the bindings. Before she pulled on her leather boots, she grabbed one of the daggers she had acquired the previous night and after modifying the sheath a little, had it wrapped around her ankle. The boot covered the weapon, unless she was physically searched from head to toe, no-one but her would know about it. Her sword was clipped on her belt at her hip like usual and her bag was repacked with the books and other items.

Her hand gripped the bag of coins that Ralof and the Jarl had given her and looked at it deeply for a moment. She didn't know what she was trying to accomplish by eyeing the bag but looking at the coins felt odd. She had always been taught that money was not the way to have a happy life, but her happiness was linked to finding her family and to do that she needed gold. Her hands were tied. She would have to go through with the Jarl's request and retrieve the tablet from the barrows after which she would get a horse and make her way to Riften. She would then turn that town upside down to make sure her family was safe. She placed the coins in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She made sure she had packed everything up before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. She could hear the sounds of a lute being played accompanying the faint flicker of the roaring fire in the centre of the inn apart from the bard, the same Nord in large, branded iron armour and a deadly looking weapon sat on a bench, drinking a beverage (which she guessed was the so familiar Nord Mead). The two of them exchanged glances but neither said any to the other. Karin made a beeline for the wooden doors and opened them, the bright sunlight hitting her face the second a crack appeared for the Sun to seep through.

She stepped out into the main plaza of Whiterun and could feel the life of the town just starting to wake up. The owners of the stools were just starting to put out their wares, ready for another day of selling and sales. She walked past them and down the stone pathway towards the main gate of Whiterun. She could gather supplies and such in Riverwood and then set off for the barrow. She stopped for a moment and saw a group of guards standing at attention near the main gate. A Dark Elf (who Karin remembered had a name, Irileth) was pacing back and forth in-front of them.

"I don't expect you to do much against a dragon, but the people of Riverwood are depending on you in-case a dragon does attack the village." Irileth stopped in-front of them, her hands behind her back. It sounded like she had just finished off her speech.

"We'll do our best, housecarl" the three guards nodded and then jogged towards the gates and then out the other side.

Irileth turned around and saw Karin about to walk past her. A dark skinned hand shot out and gripped her arm for a moment, her red eyes narrowing slightly in a disapproving glare. "I want to talk to you."

Karin growled and ripped her arm out from the iron grip. She rubbed her arm gently and gave an annoying glance to the Dunmer. "If you want to talk do it with manners, that doesn't include grabbing me for no reason." She crossed her arms. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Irileth audibly growled at Karin and took a step forward. "I don't like how you are getting so close to the Jarl. If you value your life you'd keep your distance."

Karin could feel a vein throb on her forehead in annoyance. "With all due respect, I don't plan on clinging to him or anyone in Skyrim. Hell it wasn't even my choice to come over to this province. The Brotherhood forced me to move my family over here but I can't do it without resources and gold. I'm helping the Jarl so he can help me. That's it." She walked towards the wooden gates. "I won't bring any trouble to Skyrim. I promise." She didn't bother to wait for Irileth's reply. She wasn't interested in wasting any more time arguing with some over protective elf about a province she wasn't concerned about. She had a job to do.

**VVVV**

"What do you mean I have to pay a toll to get past?" Karin asked the large, muscular man in-front of her that was blocking her path. She had seen this type of behaviour before in Cyrodiil. The entire thing was borderland procedure for her.

"Well. You see due to the rumours of dragon attacks we have decided to protect the roads for the traders and ladies, such as yourself, that are travelling alone and such a thing costs money." The man explained in an almost elegant manner, the only thing betraying him was the thick and violent accent he had while speaking. Not to mention the large greatsword on his back and the iron helmet that just barely covered up his balding head.

"we?" Karin asked curiously

"Me and my uh…brothers." He pointed to the side at two smaller men nearby. Both looked like they were cleaning their weapons. A leather boot stuck out from behind a thick tree trunk in a bad attempt to conceal the last unlucky gentlemen who had crossed their paths.

"I see. Well then seeing as you've decided to do Skyrim such a service, I'll pay the toll." She lied, hiding behind a sweat smile while her hand dug into her pocket. She pretended to dig around for her coin purse while dwelling on her magic. She settled on her shock spell and then formulated a plan. She'd take out the guy in-front of her first quickly and then plan on the fly. "Ah, here we are." She raised her hand and opened it; the purple lightning forked from her palm and struck the thug in-front of her in-between the eyes, instantly overloading the brain with electrical pulses.

"Drogthar!" One of the men shouted after a delayed reaction to the light show and drew his sword and charged at Karin. The other man started to string his bow, fumbling around with the string.

Karin retracted the magic and changed tactics. Flames erupted in her hands and she sent them towards the charging man,only to gasp as the man rolled to the side and continued his charge.

"You wench! We'll make you pay for that!" the man shouted and ducked past her flames again and slashed horizontally for her stomach.

Karin jumped back and felt the wind rush past her stomach as she dodged, subconsciously sucking in her chest. Her left hand darted for her sword and she pulled it out just as the sword returned for a follow up attack. Steel clashed upon Iron and Karin took her chance to experiment. Switching up again she sent a current of electricity down the handle of her blade, crossing the iron blade and into her attacker.

The attacker spasmed uncomfortably in-front of her, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he collapsed to the floor in a heap. The electricity arced around the body in a flashy display.

Karin ran past the electrified thug and ran towards the man who was still fumbling with his bow, wanting to experiment once more, she charged her sword once more with the electricity but felt the energy spark at her fingertips, causing her to drop the weapon during her run. _Without a place for the current to go, using that on its own is useless unless I can circumvent that. _She was within arm's length of the unfortunate bowman who still hadn't drawn his sword. She switched to her flames and instantly ended the battle, putting her hand over his mouth and blasting his insides with the intense flames. She kicked him away and watched the poor soul squirm on the floor, the blood that flowed from his open mouth bubbling from the heat. "Maybe that wasn't the best way to do it." Karin muttered to herself, wanting to throw up at the sight. She turned away and started the lengthy process of stripping the thugs of their belongings. She couldn't take everything so she had to decide on what to bring and sell off later. She could use the gold to get some more spell books. The bodies would be discovered later by Whiterun patrols (although she doubted they came out this far). So after picking up what she could carry, she continued on her way Riverwood.

**VVVV**

"So Ralof has already headed to Windhelm?" Karin asked Gerdur upon her return to Riverwood. She was carrying a handful of the swords the thugs had on them, along with the bow and a few arrows that the last one had.

"He left earlier this morning. You just missed him actually." Gerdur replied as the two walked down the main street of Riverwood. "I want to thank you for talking to the Jarl to send soldiers to defend Riverwood. Everyone feels safer knowing we aren't totally defenceless against those monsters…even if it is only by a little bit." She smiled and continued to walk alongside Karin. "I thought you were heading to Riften after Whiterun?"

Karin chuckled a little. "Complications arose with that. I couldn't exactly turn down a job from the Jarl could I? He offered me gold and more spell books and in return. I help his court wizard with some sort of project to get something from within Bleak Falls Barrow."

"Bleak Falls Barrow? The only things you'll find there are Draugr and vermin." Gerdur commented, shooting a worried look at Karin. "Why would the Jarl get you to go to such a dreadful place?"

They stopped outside of the Riverwood Trader, Karin turning to look at Gerdur. "He thinks it'll lead to learning more about the dragons and why we've only just started seeing them again."

Gerdur looked at Karin for a moment and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do anything reckless. You have a family to find within this land. I have to get back to work but if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks Gerdur. I'll see you around." Karin nodded towards the Nord as she walked back towards the mill. She smiled to herself for a moment and considered laying low in Riverwood for a couple of days but the thought was quickly dismissed. She had to find her family first before she even considered a place to settle down with her mother and brother and that meant getting some supplies before tackling the Barrows.

**VVVV**

The Riverwood Trader was about the same size as a normal house in Riverwood. Various items were scattered around the area. Swords, weapons, vials full of various liquids and even books completed the shop look. A man was standing behind a counter scowling at a woman nearby who was busy stirring something within a metal pot.

"Well one of us has to do something!" The woman said sternly, planting her hands on the desk in-front of the gentlemen.

"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!" The man yelled back at the woman.

The woman stood up straight and gave him a disapproving glare. "Well what are you going to do then? Hmm? Let's hear it."

The men ignored her question and shook his head, waving a hand at her to show he was ignoring her. "We are doing talking about this. Now if you don't mind, we have a customer." He indicated towards Karin.

Karin chuckled a little and walked up to the counter. "I'm sorry if I am interrupting anything but I'd like to get rid of all this stuff please." She hefted the few swords she had onto the counter, being careful not to knock anything over that looked fragile.

The man looked at the wares for a moment and smiled, holding out a hand to her. "Lucan Valerious, owner of the Riverwood Trader. I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Karin shook his hand, slightly cautious of Lucan. She had enough dodgy deals back in Cyrodiil to last her a life time. She usually traded with her father and mother during the weekend when the market would be full of life with interesting wares to buy. It would be her first time applying her knowledge of bartering without her parents help. "Yes. We may." She watched on for a moment while Lucan observed the swords she had picked up, running a finger along the edge to test its sharpness, checking its material for any scratches and dents.

"They look like they are in fine shape. I'll give you 100 gold for the lot of them." Lucan summarised

Karin eyed Lucan again. Why was he offering such a high number already? The weapons in-front of her was worth at least 80 at a blacksmith. Her bartering instinct told her to take the offer but her inner voice told her not to take it for the shop keeper's dignity. "Do you have any books concerning magic at all?"

Lucas seemed caught off guard by the question, but then he looked thoughtful and nodded. "Yes, I think we got a few old books lying around somewhere." He walked off towards the bookshelf and started to dust off some of the books. Some of the shelves looked like they hadn't been touched for weeks. "Yes I do! I have a large selection right here for you."

Karin smiled and nodded, following him over to the book section and looking at some of the books. She wouldn't have any time to completely learn some of the spells she looked at but if she chose her book selection carefully, she could turn the Barrows from a nightmare to a cake-walk. She knew that she'd need to find some sort of defensive spell to protect herself and maybe pick up a book about enchantment. She knew that spell books could only teach her so much and that many mages experimented with their ideas and magic. It was outlined very briefly by her mother but because Karin had never shown an interest in using magic before now. She placed an index finger along the spines of the book and looked across them, glancing at the various spells. She saw one that would allow her to throw up a protective shield that would protect her from arrows and spells and also another that would apparently let her install a berserker like rage onto her target. She took the books and brought them over to the counter.

"What was with all the shouting?" Karin asked. Curiosity got the better of her mind, not to mention her brother's goodwill to help out.

"Ah yes…that. Well, some thieves broke into the store during the night and took something from the store." Lucas explained, his cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

"Thieves broke in?" Karin took a quick double take around the store. Everything looked neat and tidy. If they broke in during the night, either they didn't take a lot, of these guys can clean up fast. "They couldn't have taken a lot."

"They uh…didn't. They only stole one thing. An ornament of a Dragon's claw made of solid gold. They probably took it to Bleak Falls Barrow."

_Either this is pure coincidence, or someone is setting me up for another dangerous quest,_ she thought to herself. "Why take it to the Barrows? I haven't heard anything living in there that resembles butterflies and sun-shine."

"You'd be right" The woman spoke up, sitting down with a drink in her hand. "Legend says that Draugr guard a pile of treasure and that ornament was the key to getting to it."

"I see. I'm heading to the Barrows anyway. If I find it while in there, I'll pick it up for you." Karin spoke the words before they had formed in her mind. She mentally cursed herself for the offer. She was becoming more and more like her brother. _Relax Karin; you need as much money as you can in order to get to Riften. _

"You would? That's great! You have no idea what that ornament means to me and my sister." Lucas exclaimed happily.

Karin smiled weakly and picked up the books. "I'll be going then. I'll be back if I find the claw for you." She quickly took her leave from the shop, not wanting to waste anymore additional time standing around and not making the money she needed.

**VVVV**

Once again, Karin found herself completely blown away of the scenery that Skyrim offered her. It would temporarily make her forget about her aches and pains. She was on the faint pathway that led up to the barrows. A chilly breeze gently ran across her face, a hand held one of the books open as she walked, her fingers slowly going numb from the chill. She held fast against the chill though. The book was a short one with an introduction to the Illusion spells and then it went into detail about the spell called 'Fury'. If she could learn the spell quickly enough, she could force people to fight each other while she stayed hidden and watch the show or use them as temporarily allies. She shut the book and let out a sigh, a faint mist issued from her mouth with each breath. She was aware that Skyrim was probably the coldest province in Tamriel. She should have packed some more clothes to stay warmer. Her boots crunched against the hardened snow and snow started to fall, floating gently and settling in her hair. In the distance she could see a stone tower, a flag floated lazily on the side, its colours and symbol not known to her. Cautiously she approached the stone tower and saw the familiar smoke rise from a campfire and hid behind a rock. At the base of the tower were two bandits, both of them were clad in a mixture of fur and leather. One had a wicked looking greatsword on his back while the other had a bow and arrow. Both were holding out their hands to the fire in a big to stay warm. If they were conversing, it was lost to her as the wind started to pick up, making eavesdropping impossible.

A cruel smile appeared on her face as a thought came to mind. She slowed her breathing and brought up her main-hand and flexed the fingers a little. A light red-ish glow formed around her hand as she thought of the magical energies that would numb her target's mind, causing him to hallucinate and attack his nearby friends. When she felt that the spell was ready, she released it gently towards her victim, the brute with the greatsword. She waited for a few seconds and moved forward a little, hiding behind another rock and poked her head over the top.

The brute had drawn his greatsword and was swinging it at his companion. The blade cut into his friends arm, a second swung cut it clean off, the limb bouncing down the hill and leaving blood stains on the white hills. He brought his blade up and around, ignoring his companion's protest's and brought the blade to his neck, cutting in about halfway. He removed the blood and blood spurted from the wound, painting the cursed brute crimson and the stained the surrounding snow.

Karin shuddered at the display. She had no idea that the spell was so…potent. It made her sick to the stomach at to what the world of magic could do if one was versed enough in the skill…

And she loved the power it gave her.

Emerging from her hiding place, she slowly walked forward, her hands already roaring with flames as the brute caught her in his gaze and rushed towards her. Karin only smiled coldly as she side stepped the slow swung and issued forth the flames from both her hands. The flames engulfed the brute within seconds, licking at his skin that his armour hadn't covered up. His hair was set alight from the flames as slowly, the flames burnt their way through the armour and clothes and peeled away at the flesh, leaving nothing but a bloody mess of muscle and bone on the floor. She continued forward past the tower and the bodies. Nature would get rid of them for her, wild wolfs and animals would gnaw at the flesh and bones and any remains would soon be covered up by the falling snow.

The trail that led up to the barrows was equally as snowy as the area around the tower, ruined flags attached to piles of rock dotted the edge, warning adventures where the edge was to avoid more senseless deaths from an over eager step over the edge. Her hood protected her from the oncoming storm. Just beyond her vision, she could make out the scale of massive ruins. They stretched out tall, the main structure almost reaching up to the clouds. She shouldn't be this excited to explore some random ruins. She had a job to do and she had to make sure she did that. She continued her walk forward, walking up the icy steps that lead up to the barrows.

"Oi, you! You shouldn't be here!" A woman shouted from behind her.

Karin turned around to face the owner of a voice. It was another bandit in fur armour again. "Aren't you a little chilly in that armour? Shouldn't you head inside to warm up?" She asked in concern, casting her mind back to the ward spell she had picked up. She pictured a brick wall in her mind and sent the feeling into her hand that was hiding behind her back.

"You shouldn't be skulking around here!" She growled and quickly drew a bow and arrow and fired a shot at Karin.

Karin threw up her hand within seconds; a large pulsing shield suddenly appeared in front of her, the arrow bouncing off harmlessly off it. "Please, as if you could touch me." Karin snarled and ran up to the woman.

The bandit struggled to nock another arrow to the string and gasped as a sword was shoved through her stomach. She twitched violently as electricity coursed through her body via the wound.

Karin retracted the sword and looked down at the bow. She stripped the woman of her bow and quiver full of arrows and placed them around her torso. They may come in handy later and if not, she could always sell them for more money later. She continued up the steps to the barrows and found her in-front of the large stone doors to the barrows. "About time…let's get this done and over with."

* * *

><p>And so the ever popular novel continues. I still fail to understand how it's become so popular but eh, I'm thankful to all my readers who have read this and continue to support this.<br>Their's a few reasons why this took awhile to come out: Namely I've been busy with work and writing behind hard on me lately, this took awhile to bring out.  
>Secondly, a lot has changed with the main characters in general but those changes aren't going to become apparent JUST yet. Just know that I have some exciting stuff planned out for Karin and the people she'll encounter in the later chapters.<p>

I once again, ask for your continued support, tell your friends about this, review this, tell me what you like and dislike. It's the only way I can improve after-all!


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